Nicole Nielsen & Co. Perhaps the leading manufacturers of complicated watches in late 19th century London, the Nicole Nielsen firm made watches and carriage clocks for leading makers such as Frodsham, but also marketed under their own name. The firm originated in 1840 when Adolphe Nicole, a partner in the firm of Nicole & Capt, Geneva, decided to settle in London where he ran a branch of the firm at 80b Dean Street. In 1844 Nicole registered a patent, no. 10348, for key-less winding and a type of chronograph. From 1858 the firm was at 14 Soho Square, where it remained for the next 75 years. In 1862 Nicole patented his chronograph stop system, which incorporated a fly-back mechanism, and in 1876 the place of the recently deceased Jules Capt was taken by Sophus Emil Nielsen who in 1884 patented an ?up and down? mechanism. In 1888 the firm was purchased by R.B. North, Nielsen being retained as joint managing director with Harrison Mill Frodsham. In 1888 the firm became known as Nicole Nielsen & Co. In 1903 No th obtained a patent for ?revolving escapements? and soon afterwards the firm produced a small series of grande sonnerie carriage clocks fitted with tourbillon escapements. From 1904 onwards the firm began to manufacture speedometers, at first selling the output to S. Smith & Co, and later to Frodsham. In 1917 the name of the firm was changed to North & Sons Ltd, and it continued in business until 1933.