$29,900
Charles Frodsham, by appointment to the Queen, 84 Strand, London, No. 07843 AD.Fmsz, with London hallmarks for 1889. Very fine 18K gold hunting cased, keyless minute repeating watch with split seconds chronograph and instantaneous 60 minutes recorder. Four body, massive, "bassine et filets" by Arnold Schaefli (Master mark), polished with thief proof bow, the back with a pink and green flinque champleve enamelled monogram: "J.B.S.", thief proof bow. Hinged gold cuvette. White enamel by Willis with Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute and chronograph rings, sunk subsidiary seconds and minute register. Blued steel "pear" hands. Notes Charles Frodsham (1810-1871) He was the most celebrated of the numerous Frodsham family of watchmakers and was a prominent maker of very high grade chronometers and watches. He devised in 1868, a form of electrical contact for taking signals for chronometers. The company he founded continued after his death. At some time before the middle of the last century, the company began making lever escapement and chronometer escapement watches of the very highest quality and continued to do so until the outbreak of war in 1939. For the 1851 exhibition, they introduced a three-quarter plate calibre which they marked "AD.Fmsz", which continued subsequently to be put on all their highest grade work. The significance of "AD.Fmsz", is said to be found by putting the name of Frodsham against numbers thus FRODSHAM Z 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 I-Ience FMSZ give Read more…
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1998-06-20
