In 1858, the British Crown took back the charter from the East India Company and began ruling India directly, while Queen Vitoria was further proclaimed as Empress of India in 1877, the crown’s undoubted sovereignty brought the first period which marks the predominance of British Horology. In 1890 until 1947, a great Swiss era followed for the Indian market flourished with Swiss made timepieces. The landscape of the country during the mid-19th century was also bustling, divided into over 562 Princely states, each one was headed by either a Raja or Maharaja, Rana, Nizam; all which their magnificence and wealth are legendary.
Being the key importer of Bombay, Marcks and Co. was the sole source for royalties and aristocrats to get their hands on majestic timepieces such as grand complication, perpetual calendars and repeaters. The pocket watches during that era had specific characteristics, solid gold hunter-cased and often richly decorated with coat of arms, jewelled or arabesque and motifs. Curvettes were also engraved with flower motifs near the opening groove. The dials were often embellished with painted portraits of nobleman in enamel. It is also notable that the major supplier of these high quality movements was one of the most established master who specializes in Grande Complication, Henri Grandjean. In 1851, at the first Universal Exposition in London, Grandjean received a First Class medal. His list of medals continues until 1868, the year in which the company won an award for its marine chronometers. A name closely connected to Le Locle, theres even a street named after the master.
Commissioned by likely a Maharajah or a Nizam in circa 1890 to C. Marcks & Co., Bombay & Poona, the present exquisite example from Marcks & Co. is a matching pair of Grande and Petite Sonnerie striking chronograph hunter-cased keyless pocket watches. The heavy gold full hunter-cased timepieces are impressive and captivating in its own right. The Grande and Petite Sonnerie striking complication is unquestionably the highest of all complications and represents the very finest watchmaking skills. Combining a quarter striking mechanism with a minute repeater, it provides an audible striking as it passes each quarter hour, and a minute repeating function is available on demand via the slider on the case band.
The former of the set is fitted with minute repeater and the latter with quarter repeater, both activated by the striking and silence selector on the edge of the bezel.
Comissioned by a cultured nobleman who perhaps was well versed in the customs and manners of English culture especially horse racing. Evidently engraved with horse shoes as hour markers around the gold champlevé dial, a graceful jockey in blue attire is painted in the centre of each timepieces.
An absolutely charming and possibly unique pair presented in excellent overall condition and kept in a private collection since it last appeared publicly. The hallmarks remains deep and intact, in fact, both are stamped with the domestic gold Helvetica hallmark with a small L, the stamp denotes that the piece was from the period of 1880-1934 from Le Locle.
