Clocks, Watches & Jewellery

The collection of Tiffany jewels offered by Christie’s New York (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) on June 20 was the finest at auction in recent memory.

Bonhams’ (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) sale in Knightsbridge on June 14 included a group of pieces attributed to the British Arts & Crafts jeweller and designer Dorrie Nossiter (1893-1977).

Stealing all the headlines at Sotheby’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) Fine Jewels sale in London on June 7 was the £540,000, 26ct ’tenner’ diamond, bought by the vendor at a boot fair in the 1980s. However, among the 370 lots were items with more illustrious provenances.

Tiaras have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, particularly in Russia and the Baltic States where jeans and a diamond fascinator are de rigueur at informal high-society events.

Indian design was a prolific influence in Carlo Giuliano’s style. Already seen at the 1851 Great Exhibition, interest in technicolour jewellery from the sub-continent rose to new levels when Victoria became Empress of India in 1876.

This medieval gold posy ring with a Lombardic inscription is a type that was common in England and France in the 13th and early 14th centuries. After around 1350, Gothic script became popular.

Among several unusual clocks included in the 328-lot dedicated auction to be held in Paris on June 26 by Chayette et Cheval is this 3¾ x 2¾in (9.5 x 7cm) reveil briquet (lighter alarm clock).

In recent years, Bonhams has uncovered several previously unrecorded English Golden Age clocks and at the sale of Fine Clocks on June 29 it will be presenting a recently discovered longcase clock by London maker John Fromanteel.

In 1953 Pan Am Airlines approached Rolex with a request for a watch that could show the time simultaneously in two different time zones.

Figural clocks combining novelty and automaton features were very popular in the 19th century, many of them being of French manufacture.

Not all the clocks that go under the hammer feature in dedicated horological sales. Pictured here is a selection of some recent highlights at Sotheby's auctions from mixed-discipline sales.

Established in London in 1735, jeweller Garrard has had a long association with the British Royal family.

ATG's special report on horological highlights with superb examples of modern craftsmanship, auction previews and results, and the world of wall clocks described by expert Edward Burd...

For the serious collector of vintage Rolex Submariner wristwatches, the devil is in the dial detail. Dial variations found in this watch model were produced in low numbers and are therefore highly sought after.

Wall clocks are fashionable these days. Open most publications with an interiors feature and one will probably be displayed: in the kitchen, dining room or hallway. What is the reason for their popularity? One person who knows is Edward Burd, wall clock collector for 40 years and dealer for 15.

Yves Montand (1921-91) and Simone Signoret (1921-85) were famous French husband-and-wife actors with starring roles in many French films.