Charles Tearle
4 November 2024
In November 2024 we were delighted to present an exceptionally fine, very rare and important pocket watch by Ilbery, London in our London Watches auction. Made circa 1820 for the Chinese market, this superb watch features an enamel scene attributable to Jean-Louis Richter. Attracting lots of pre-sale interest it eventually sold for £50,200.
William Ilbery (1760-1839) is one of the highest regarded and best known London makers of watches for the Asian market.
Highly decorated gilt movement with duplex escapement, three-arm steel balance with diamond end-stone, blued steel balance-spring and blued steel compensation weights. White enamel dial with black Roman numerals, outer minutes, outermost 15 minute numerals, gilt hands with centre seconds, large gold case with decorated sprung cuvette, hinged reverse with central finely enamelled scene featuring period (Georgian) dressed sisters picking fruit within a country manor estate, the outer and bezel with matching blue, white, turquoise and red enamel decoration, the bow similarly decorated with pale blue enamel.
Inner case back additionally numbered 44.
Working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Ilbery first established his workshop at Goswell Street in the city of London. It has been argued that he was the inventor of the caliber typical of these "Chinese" watches. (Alfred Chapuis, 'La Montre Chinoise', pg 180)
This example features the decorated style of movement with duplex escapement with raised barrel, characteristic of watches crafted for the Asian market.
The cases Ilbery used for his Asian market watches were always of the highest quality. He worked with some of the best Genevan enamelers of the period such as Jean-Francois-Victor Dupont and Jean-Louis Richter.
Jean-Louis Richter (1766-1841) is considered a master-enameller who specialised in landscapes and marine scenes for snuff boxes and watches for the Asian markets. This example is particularly notable for the original undamaged condition of the principle enamel scene. Examples of Richter's work can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, amongst other places,
In researching this lot, examples of Chinese market watches by Ilbery that have previously appeared at auction, numbered 60XX, are of similar size, style featuring European characters, and usually described as ‘exceptional’.
The identical watch in all aspects, movement number 6067 and similarly numbered 44 to the inner reverse, was sold in London in 2005. Although Chinese market watches were sometimes created as a ‘mirror pair’, identical examples are especially rare.
