359 - Charles Frodsham - Spring Flowers

Charles Frodsham - Spring Flowers (*) A very fine and important gold enamel hunting case pocket watch with split seconds chronograph in best movement design "AD.Fmsz". The movement was supplied by Nicole Nielsen & Co.; the manufacturing costs amounted to 54 British pounds Movm. No. 06349, Case No. 06349, Dimensions 54 mm, circa 1882, Weight 162 g, Origin England, Extract from the archives Case: 18 K gold, polychrome enamel, case maker's punch mark "HMF" (Harrison Mill Frodsham), florally engraved caseband. Dial: Enamel. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, ébauche: Nicole, English lever escapement, gold screw compensation balance. The Charles Frodsham gold keyless hunter split-seconds chronograph pocket watch of 1882 is an outstanding example of English watchmaking, combining elegance with precision. Both spring lids are ornamented with exquisitely painted enamel medallions of the highest quality, depicting a delicate floral composition of anemones, pansies, daffodils, forget-me-nots, carnations, violets, and other spring flowers set against a translucent rose-coloured ground. The movement is signed “By Appointment, Cha Frodsham 84, The Strand London”, attesting to the exceptional craftsmanship of Charles Frodsham. This late19th century watch is in excellent condition and represents both historical significance and timeless elegance. Swiss watchmakers Adolphe Nicole (1812–1876) and Jules Capt (1813–1876) first set up their workshop in London’s 80B Dean Street in 1839 and moved it to 14 Soho Square later; the business remained there until the company finally stopped trading in 1934. Both men were gifted makers hoping to find their fortune in England and indeed they won many medals and awards at important exhibitions, for example in Paris in 1855 and 1867, in Philadelphia in 1878 and in Sydney in 1879. Further advances followed, including the patents granted to Nicole & Capt in 1862 for stopwatches and timepieces, which introduced improvements to the crown wheels and their first chronograph. The company’s drive for innovation attracted talented staff, including the Danish-born watchmaker Sophus Emil Nielsen, a Danish citizen who joined the company in 1869. Jules Capt died in 1876; Nicole took the Danish watchmaker as his new partner and the company became Nicole Nielsen & Co. in the same year. Four years later Nielsen was running the company, which was by then specialising in the production of highly complicated keyless watches. The watches were usually fitted with extras such as perpetual calendar, chronograph, split seconds chronograph, repetition, temperature, equation of time and tourbillons. Charles Frodsham (1810-1871) was a maker of very fine watches, originally of the Strand, London, and then New Bond Street. His best quality watches bear the letters AD.Fmsz, which is interpreted as 1850, the year he bought J.R. Arnold's estate after his death; the firm was known for a short period as Arnold and Frodsham. He conducted many experiments with compensated balances and the balance spring to discover their underlying principles; he also wrote several papers on technical subjects. Case: very good, micro scratches. Dial: very good. Movm.: very good, capable of running, cleaning recommended.