William Allam, London

• Movement: gilded full plate, ruby cylinder escapement with brass wheel, decoratively pierced balance cock engraved with foliage, a mask at the neck, diamond endstone, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars, two polished steel hammers repeating on blocks to the inside case back, signed and numbered Wm. Allam, London, 1451, signed gilt-metal dust cap
• Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring, gold beetle and poker hands, winding aperture below 12 o'clock
• Case: gold and enamel, the back centred with enamel plaque painted en grisaille depicting a woman making a sacrifice at an altar and signed AT for Augustin Toussaint, framed by blue basse-taille and white champlevé enamel, surrounded by gold foliate scrolls on a green basse-taille ground, shells and ovals at the quarters, both bezels decorated with blue and white enamel, diamond-set push piece, case maker's mark PM incuse for Peter Mounier

Sotheby's London, Chester Beatty Collection, June 1963, lot 246

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, p. 251, pl. 157

Green enamel restored in soft enamel, en grisaille scene is scratched. Movement not running but repeating is working although slightly sluggish. Dial clean and with a couple of small scratches.
"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."

Augustin Toussaint was apprenticed to George Michael Moser. Moser was paid an astonishing £210 in 1768 for the apprenticeship [see Edgcumbe, Art of the Gold Chaser, p. 147] – this compares to what appears to have been a standard apprenticeship fee for chasers during the period of between £5 and £10 [see: R. Campbell, The London Tradesman, 1747, p. 333]. The enormous fee not only demonstrates Moser’s exceptional reputation, but also the wealth of Toussaint’s father, a jeweller. By the period of Toussaint’s apprenticeship, enamelling work appeared to have the most lucrative future and it is perhaps for that reason that Toussaint’s career concentrated on enamel work rather than chasing.   

The same scene as that on the present watch can be found on the chatelaine hook of a watch by Josiah Emery, No. 660, the case of which is hallmarked London 1774, and which also has an en grisaille scene of a neo-classical figure, both this and the scene to the hook are signed 'AT' for Augustin Toussaint. Emery no. 660 may be found in the Patek Philippe Museum, Geneva and the watch and chatelaine are illustrated in: Peter Friess, Patek Philippe Museum, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Vol. IV,  2015, pp.490-491.

In Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World [21st century edition, 2006, p.11], Brian Loomes notes that William Allam was based in London’s Bond Street and was a Freeman of the Clockmakers’ Company between 1743 and 1785. For a watch numbered 1416, that has a similar movement by Allam with ruby cylinder and a case also by Peter Mounier, see: Antiquarian Horology, No. 3, Vol. 29, March 2006, p. 340.