Charles Frodsham, London

YELLOW GOLD KEYLESS WIND POCKET CHRONOMETER WITH SPRING DETENT ESCAPEMENT AND POWER RESERVE INDICATION MADE FOR THE INDIAN MARKET NO. 04794 MADE IN 1875

Charles Frodsham, London

Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, power reserve indication at 12 and subsidiary seconds at 6
Movement: 3/4 plate, keyless wind fusée, spring detent escapement, split bi-metallic balance, blued steel helical spring
Movement number: 04794
Case: 18ct yellow gold engine-turned hunter case stamped GAP (for George Augustus Potter, Clerkenwell), the later cuvette stamped AF but lacking date letter, painted with polychrome enamel portrait of an Indian Prince, outer case with London hallmark for 1875
Dimensions: 56.2mm diameter
Signed: dial and movement
Accessories: none

Provenance:
Watches made for the Indian market, known as 'Maharaja watches,' frequently made use of photographs sent from Indian dignitaries so that artists could render the portraits in enamel. These subjects presented a particular challenge to enamellers, as the portraits were done using often-blurry photographs sent from overseas as the basis, rather than seeing the subject first-hand or working from a clear likeness. The portrait included on this watch is a testament to the skill of the artists at work.

For further discussion of 'Maharaja watches' and Swiss watch trade in India, see Jaquet, E., & Chapuis, A., Technique and History of the Swiss Watch, pp. 100 and 128-9, and illustrations on pl. 133.