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Lot Essay
This magnificent and spectacular large Grande Complication clockwatch is, to the best of our knowledge, the most complicated ever to have been made for the Indian market. According to tradition, it was originally owned by the Sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, at the time, the richest man in the world. Certainly the Nizam was known for his love of fine and costly works of art of all kinds and it would be fitting that he would have possessed the most complicated and expensive watch available. The Nizam was well versed in the customs and manners of English society and the style of the present watch, although of the finest Swiss manufacture, is resolutely English in outward appearance with its exquisitely enamelled covers depicting a fashionable English couple out riding and a montage of oak leaves, riding accoutrements and a jockey’s cap. This combination of Swiss manufacture and high English taste is peculiar to watches made for the Indian market. The Indian ruling classes largely embraced the pastimes of the English gentry and developed a love of European luxury in their clothes, jewellery, cars and watches. Indeed, some of the most important jewellery made by Cartier at this period was created for the Indian Maharajas.
A tour-de-force of the best watchmaking at the dawn of the 20th century, the movement is exceptionally complicated. Although the cuvette is signed ‘Gideon & Co., Locle’, a highly sophisticated movement of this complexity could only have been made by one of the very best watchmakers of the period such as Louis-Elisée Piguet (1836-1924) who was responsible for making some of the most complicated watches which were sold under other names including Audemars. Movements of very high complexity like the present watch were really the culmination of the collaborative effort of several of the best Swiss watchmakers, each contributing their own speciality in a particular complication or technique.
The present watch has the extremely rare feature of a central progressive minute register to record the elapsed minutes of the chronograph. At first glance, the central chronograph hand and the minute register hand has the appearance of a split-seconds chronograph. The Grande and Petite Sonnerie striking complication is unquestionably the highest of all complications and represents the very finest watchmaking skills. Combining a quarter striking mechanism with a minute repeater, it provides an audible striking as it passes each quarter hour, and a minute repeating function is available on demand via the trip-slide on the case band.
The heavy gold full hunter case is an impressive and captivating work of art in its own right with gold chasing and painted enamel decoration of the finest quality and highlighted with diamonds.
A remarkable watch in every way, it offers beauty, rarity and complication, a true masterpiece for the collector. Moreover, the present owner commissioned a complete cleaning and revision of the movement to full working condition.
The 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (1866–1911)
Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi GCB GCSI, ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911.
Mahboob Ali Khan was the first Nizam to have a Western education. A special school, under the guidance of Captain John Clarke, was started in the Chowmahalla Palace. Besides English, he was also taught Persian, Arabic and Urdu. In 1874, Captain John Clarke, a former tutor to the Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to teach him English. Clarke imbibed in the "young Mahboob the customs and manners of high English society".
The Nizam was well known for his extravagant lifestyle and collection of clothes and cars. His collection of clothes was one of the most extensive in the world at the time. He devoted a whole wing of his palace to his wardrobe and would never wear the same outfit twice. He bought the Jacob Diamond, which stands out among the Jewels of The Nizams that are now owned by the Government of India.
A tour-de-force of the best watchmaking at the dawn of the 20th century, the movement is exceptionally complicated. Although the cuvette is signed ‘Gideon & Co., Locle’, a highly sophisticated movement of this complexity could only have been made by one of the very best watchmakers of the period such as Louis-Elisée Piguet (1836-1924) who was responsible for making some of the most complicated watches which were sold under other names including Audemars. Movements of very high complexity like the present watch were really the culmination of the collaborative effort of several of the best Swiss watchmakers, each contributing their own speciality in a particular complication or technique.
The present watch has the extremely rare feature of a central progressive minute register to record the elapsed minutes of the chronograph. At first glance, the central chronograph hand and the minute register hand has the appearance of a split-seconds chronograph. The Grande and Petite Sonnerie striking complication is unquestionably the highest of all complications and represents the very finest watchmaking skills. Combining a quarter striking mechanism with a minute repeater, it provides an audible striking as it passes each quarter hour, and a minute repeating function is available on demand via the trip-slide on the case band.
The heavy gold full hunter case is an impressive and captivating work of art in its own right with gold chasing and painted enamel decoration of the finest quality and highlighted with diamonds.
A remarkable watch in every way, it offers beauty, rarity and complication, a true masterpiece for the collector. Moreover, the present owner commissioned a complete cleaning and revision of the movement to full working condition.
The 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (1866–1911)
Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi GCB GCSI, ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911.
Mahboob Ali Khan was the first Nizam to have a Western education. A special school, under the guidance of Captain John Clarke, was started in the Chowmahalla Palace. Besides English, he was also taught Persian, Arabic and Urdu. In 1874, Captain John Clarke, a former tutor to the Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to teach him English. Clarke imbibed in the "young Mahboob the customs and manners of high English society".
The Nizam was well known for his extravagant lifestyle and collection of clothes and cars. His collection of clothes was one of the most extensive in the world at the time. He devoted a whole wing of his palace to his wardrobe and would never wear the same outfit twice. He bought the Jacob Diamond, which stands out among the Jewels of The Nizams that are now owned by the Government of India.