Geneva, May 12, 2024
EDWARD PRIOR, ENGLAND, PAINTED ON ENAMEL PAIR CASE MADE FOR THE TURKISH MARKET, 18K YELLOW GOLD
A fine and elegant, 18k yellow gold and enamel, manual wind , scallop-edges case, the inner case finely painted on enamel with a scene of a galleon in a sea port against an opalescent sky over a sunray engine turning, outer case decorated with polychrome champlevé enamel around the glazed aperture.
Excellent
Good
Slightly chipped
Good
Slightly oxidized
Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Good
ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Hairline
HANDS Original
Brand Edward Prior, England
Year Circa 1820
Movement No. 45423
Case No. 41801
Diameter 46 mm.
Caliber 12''', Hinged, gilt brass full plate, unusual lyre-shaped pillars, fusee and chain, pinions, verge escapement.
Signature Dial and movement
Edward Prior, the son of George Prior, collaborated with his father to become prominent figures among London's foremost makers of watches tailored for the Turkish and Islamic markets. The Priors stand out as perhaps the most renowned among all English watch and clockmakers who predominantly crafted timepieces for the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the flourishing Turkish market during the late 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. Watches bearing the signatures of either George Prior or Edward Prior ranged from relatively modest everyday pocket watches with silver cases to exquisite and extravagantly expensive timepieces crafted from gold, adorned with jewels or enamel, such as the present watch, which might have been acquired or bestowed by the Sultan himself or esteemed members of the Ottoman court. The collection at the Dolmabahçe Palace museum showcases clocks crafted by the Priors, gifted to Sultan Abdülhamid II. Additionally, George Prior's timepieces are housed in the collections of the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The popularity of Prior watches in Turkey was such that even today, this style of pocket watch, regardless of the maker, is referred to as a 'Prior Watch' in Turkey.
