Sigismund Rentzsch, London

• Movement: gilded, ruby cylinder escapement, flat steel three-arm balance, going barrel with Geneva stop work, gear for winding to inside case back, rotating on a collar fixed to steel strap and interlocking with toothed wheel mounted above the barrel, repeating on a coiled gong, signed Rentzsch, London
• Dial: gold, satin finished chapter ring with Roman numerals, outer pearled minute ring, engine turned centre, blued steel moon hands, off-set subsidiary seconds, signed beneath 12 o'clock
• Case: gold, engine turned, the case back rotating counter clockwise to wind, front bezel rotating to activate repeating work, clockwise for the hours and anti-clockwise for quarters, the central cartouche with monogram JW unscrewing completely thereby allowing case back to be unscrewed clockwise for its release, pendant with cap lifting for hand-set, case with maker's mark LC with scroll above incuse for Louis Comtesse

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, pp. 388-389, pl. 243

Movement running and winding at time of cataloguing, hand-set operational, however the repeating work does not appear to be working at present. Dial with some light scuffs. Case with some light scuffs and scratches and rubbing to the engine turned decoration to case 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."

This unusual watch has an early form of keyless winding and hand-setting that is inventively and ingeniously executed. To the inside centre of the case back, a toothed wheel engages with a wheel fixed to the mainspring barrel, allowing the watch to be wound in a counter clockwise direction. By lifting the cap in the pendant, the hands may then be set. The bezel to the case front rotates and repeats the hours when turned clockwise, and the quarters when rotated anti-clockwise. Fixed to the front bezel, a small pawl extends a short distance over the edge of the dial; an annular rack is carried by the bezel clockwise until the pawl comes into contact with the tip of the hour hand.

A letter dated 1937 is recorded which states that this watch was reputedly given by Princess Sophia, daughter of King George III, to her lady-in-waiting, a member of the Wynyard family. Although no piece by Rentzsch survives in the Royal Collection, he is recorded on the list of royal tradesmen between 1821 and 1857. Indeed, on a receipted account from Sigismund Rentzsch for work carried out on the clocks and watches belonging to "Her Late Royal Highness Princess Augusta," dated October 1840, Rentzsch describes himself as “Watch & Clock Maker to the Queen, their Majesties the Dowager Queen, The King of Hanover, The king of Belgium and the rest of the Royal Family, inventor and sole vendor of the circumvoluting watches, St James’s Square” [for an illustration of the invoice, see: Antiquarian Horology, No. 4, Vol. 7, September 1971, p.340]. Confusingly, George III's sixth child was christened Augusta Sophia (1768-1840), while his twelfth was christened Matilda Sophia (1777-1848). For an article on Sigismund Rentzsch and a detailed description of a similar watch by this maker, see T. P. Camerer Cuss, Sigismund Rentzsch, Antiquarian Horology, No. 5, Vol. 5, December 1966, pp. 164-168. For a further keyless winding/repeating watch by Rentzsch, see: Peter Friess, Patek Philippe Museum, The Emergence of the Portable Watch, Vol. IV,  2015, p.610.