97th Auction

2018/5/12

Lot 439

George Moore, 23 Percival Street, London, Movement No. 505, Case No. 505, 53 mm, 151 g, circa 1840
An 1/8 repeating english pocket chronometer with spring detent escapement
Case: 18k gold, case maker's punch mark "LC" (Louis Comptesse, Soho, London). Dial: enamel, off-white. Movm.: full plate movement, 2 hammers / 2 gongs, chain/fusee, spring detent escapement according to Thomas Earnshaw, gold screw compensation balance.
George Moore (1814-1894) of 23 Percival Street in Clerkenwell lived at that address until 1859; from 1860 until 1872 he worked at 21 St. John's Square in Clerkenwell, where he had taken over the company F.B. Adams & Sons. From 1884 on he was a partner in the company Charles Frodsham at 84 Strand for some time - this is not surprising, as his son George John Moore was a son-in-law of Charles Frodsham. He had married Hannah Mill Frodsham (born on December 7, 1839) on April 16, 1868 and they had two children; he also received a bequest from the estate of Frodsham’s wife Elizabeth.
The maker of the gold case was Louis Comtesse at 10 East Street, Red Lion Square. Comtesse had first registered a mark (incuse) as "goldworker" on November 8, 1804; at the time he was working at 13 Batemans Buildings in Soho, where he remained until 1827. The "cameo mark" on this case was registered on March 5, 1840 and was Comtesse's last mark.

Sold

estimated
3.5006.000 €
Price realized
4.400 €