Pocket watch

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including the auction of a Roger Smith pocket watch.

Recent auction results in Germany and Switzerland give a snapshot of the market beyond wristwatches

Portable timekeepers full of collectable appeal need not be just those worn on the wrist

Some exceptional pocket watches were offered for sale at Bonhams in Knightsbridge on May 11.

English names from a defunct clock manufactory were used for familiarity in an export market

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

'Une histoire du temps' (a history of time) is the title of the sale to be held by Aguttes in Neuilly on September 28.

In contrast to the red-hot trade in vintage and modern wristwatches, the market for antique pocket watches appears very low key. However, as demand for the better-quality pieces remains robust, not all are destined for the scrapheap. Richard Fox reports

Little is known about the biography of the German watchmaker Sigismund Rentzsch, who came to London in the early 19th century, where he set up a workshop.

Abraham Louis Breguet is generally considered to be the greatest watchmaker of all times, responsible for numerous inventions, which revolutionised the art.

Although Thomas Tompion (1639-1713) is often referred to as the Father of English Clockmaking, his talents were not just limited to clocks.

Dealers’ online retail site reveals the pocket watches collecting market has become one of the biggest growers.

A George III gold pair cased pocket watch gave a strong start to the Golding Young & Mawer (20% buyer’s premium) November 4 sale (brought forward a day to avoid lockdown restrictions).

A rare ‘pocket watch’ sold by East Bristol Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) was more surveillance device than timekeeper.