John Arnold, London

• Movement: gilded full plate movement with Arnold pivoted detent escapement, free-sprung ‘S’ balance, blued steel helical spring, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, fusee and chain, turned pillars • movement signed John Arnold, London, Inv. et Fecit London No. 23/78
• Dial: white enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer minute ring, large subsidiary seconds, blued steel hands • dial signed and numbered 78
• Case: plain polished double bottomed silver case, the back opening to reveal fixed cuvette with winding aperture, maker’s mark ITP incuse for John Terrill Pain and hallmarked 1781

Joseph Bond - Bond had a servicing business in Boston, the watch appears in his records on 30th July 1834 (Bond Papers, M.M.G. Vol. 1, F. 26)
T.P. Camerer-Cuss purchased 1947 from a private collection

Science Museum, London, Antiquarian Horological Society Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, 1964

Terrence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch, 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 274-275, pl. 168
Hans Staeger, 100 Years of Precision Timekeepers from John Arnold to Arnold & Frodsham 1763-1862, 1997, pp. 67-68
Vaudrey Mercer, John Arnold & Son, 1972, pp. 48, 59, 210
T.P. Camerer Cuss, The Country Life Books of Watches, 1967, p. 69

Movement not running at time of cataloguing but appears to be clean and complete. Dial with hairline between 4 and 5 o'clock and some chipping to the very edge of the dial. between 3 and 7 o'clock. Case with light scuffs and some minor depressions to edge of back and band.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

John Arnold used the pivoted detent escapement up to 1782 and the spring detent thereafter. Arnold introduced the ‘double S’ balance in 1780. The ‘S’ sections of the balance were shaped bi-metallic bars that were designed to overcome the changing elasticity of the balance spring and expansion of the balance’s rim. Arguably amongst the most elegant compensated balances ever made, only around a dozen watches survive with the double ‘S’ or ‘T’ balances. Only two watches survive complete with their original cases, dials and pivoted detents, having a ‘double T’ balance (number 1/36 and 2/43 – although the balance of the latter has been restored). Only the present watch, number 23/78, survives without restoration and with its original case, dial, pivoted detent and ‘double S’ balance.

Born in Cornwall, John Arnold (1736-1799) is one of England’s most famous and important watchmakers. Initially apprenticed to his father, a Clockmaker from Bodmin, John Arnold almost certainly worked for a time as a gunsmith with his Uncle, William (see Vaudrey Mercer, John Arnold & Son, p.4). In the mid 1750s, John Arnold travelled to Holland where he continued work as a watchmaker’s assistant and it is here that he learnt German which doubtless proved a great asset in his later connections with King George III’s court. In 1762 he moved to London and shortly thereafter presented a repeating watch mounted on a ring to King George III. The watch created a sensation and was widely reported upon with details included in the “Annual Register” for 1764 and the “Gentleman’s Magazine” of the same year. It has been suggested by several
researchers, including Cedric Jagger in his book Royal Clocks, that John Arnold was encouraged by King George III to “enter the ‘longitude’ arena” and make an accurate
timekeeper for use at sea. Arnold’s first attempt at a marine timepiece was completed in 1768 and presented before the Board of Longitude in 1770. Arnold realised that a detatched escapement would be highly desirable and this led him to invent his early detatched escapement in c.1770, followed by his spring detent (which bears his name) in c.1782. To overcome isochronal variation, Arnold took out a patent for a helical spring in December 1775 and used this with his ‘double T’ and ‘double S’ balances. Arnold realized that a detached escapement would be highly desirable and this led him to invent a detent escapement, circa 1781, which bears his name. In 1787 he took his son, John Roger Arnold, into partnership, changing the business name to “Arnold & Son”, which was retained until his death. A detailed examination of the life and work of John Arnold is given in Vaudrey Mercer’s definitive work on the maker entitled John Arnold & Son, published by the Antiquarian Horological Society in 1972.