Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

An 18ct gold hunter cased chronograph pocket watch, by Gabriel, London, the signed white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and subsidiary seconds dial at numeral 6, outer 0-60 chronograph seconds scale and subsidiary chronograph minutes dial at numeral 12, with blued steel hands, top wind ¾ plate movement signed ‘Gabriel, 61 Cornhill, London, Watch Maker to the Admiralty’ and numbered ‘561/1000’, the plain polished case with engraved ‘J.B.’ monogram to the front and chronograph push button to band, hallmarked for London, 1903 and bearing maker’s mark ‘F.T.’, in fitted gilt tooled case, signed ‘W. Gabriel’, watch diameter 53mm. £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Private Collection of Pocket Watches.

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Accompanied by a card for Dr Brown of Harvieston, Tring, hand annotated in ink ‘Oct: 28th 1904, To (Dr Brown) from Lady Rothschild & Mr. Walter Rothschild’ to the front and ‘Gabriel, 561/1000’ to the back in the same hand.

The Bucks Herald of 26th December 1914 records the funeral of Dr James Brown, which took place on 18th December, describing the event as a ‘striking demonstration of the esteem and affection in which the deceased gentleman was held by all classes in the community’. The congregation present at the service, held at the Church of St Martha’s, at which the doctor had been a regular worshipper, included the Hon Walter Rothschild.

Dr Brown’s only son, Second Lieutenant Andrew Cranstoun Brown, of the South Staffordshire Regiment, was killed in action on the second day of the Battle of the Somme, on 2nd July 1916, aged just 21 years.