Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

New York, Omni Berkshire Place Hotel, Jun 20, 1998

LOT 132

Swiss, made for the Indian Market, circa 1895. Fine 18K gold and enamel, hunting cased, keyless minute repeating watch of Princely provenance, made for H.H. Mohender Sing, Maharaja of Patiala.

USD 20,000 - 24,000

C. Four body, massive, "bassine et filets " , the band, bezel and bow with chased floral and foliage decoration, the cover enamel panel with a portrait of H.H. Mohender Singh, Maharaja of Patiala bearing the British decoration "The Star of India". The back panel with the painted champleve enamelled coat of arms of the Maharaja against a matted ground with the motto: "Heavens light our guide". Hinged gold cuvette. D. White enamel with Roman numerals and sunk subsidiary seconds. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. 17"', gilt brass, 29 jewels, straight line lever escapement, cut bimetallic balance, Breguet balance spring. Repeating on gongs with slide in the band. Diam. 49 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image

Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent

Case: 2-20

Very good

Period original

Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense

Dial: 23-51

Later

Partially reprinted

Notes

The Maharaja of Patiala is portrayed on these two watches in full attire, with a magnificent sarpech and necklace, and he is also wearing several medals and decorations including "The Star of India", which he was awarded on May 28, 1870. The Maharaja's full title was: Lieut.-Gen. H. H. Farzand-i-Khas-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansure-i-Zaman, Amir-it-Umra, Maharaja Dhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Shree, Maharaja-i-Rajgan Maharaja Sir Bhupinclra Singh, Mohinder Bahaclur, Yadu Vanshavatans Bhatti Kul Bhushan, Maharaja Dhiraj of Patiala, G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., G.B.E. He was ruling Prince of Patiala State from 1891 to 1938. The Princely State of Patiala is in the Punjab, in N. W. India, and was the largest Sikh State. The British occupied Punjab in 1849 and later designated it a province. The Maharaja of Patiala appreciated precious objects, jewelry and of course watches. From about 1925 he is known to have been one of the great clients of Cartier and indeed commissioned Cartier to remodel his crown jewels, probably the biggest commission of all time in terms of quality and quantity. In 1929, before consigning the elegant reworkings to the Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala, Cartier organised a splendid exhibition of the Maharaja's jewels, in Paris, at the rue de la Paix, which attracted wide publicity. As mentioned in an article in the Antiquarian Horology issue of December 1984, page 156, the Maharaja had many interests among which "shooting, cricket, polo and motoring, and he was one of the first in India to have an automobile, a French De Dion Bouton in 1898. IIe was also the first Indian prince to have a 20 h.p. Rolls Royce; a 1922 Barker Tourer on a chassis 42 G2. Nine further examples of this model were added to his collection which at one time totalled thirty eight Rolls Royce cars!" Literature: Antiquarian Horology, Number Two, Volume Fifteen, December 1984, pp. 147-156, article entitled "A Rare Complicated Watch By Piguet, circa 1910" by R. Good. The front cover of this issue of Antiquarian Horology features a portrait of The Maharajah of Patiala. : The information quoted from the December 1984 issue of Antiquarian Horology, came from John M. Fasal's book The Rolls Royce Twenty, published by the author in 1979. Cartier; Le Joaillier du Platine, by Franco Cologni and Eric Nussbaum, La Bibliotheque des Arts, Paris, Lausanne, 1995, p. 39, illustrated on p. 34. The Magical Art of Cartier; thematic auction catalogue by Antiquorum and Etude Tajan, Geneva, November 19, 1996, p. 265.