Month: January 2025

Sussex Heritage The Art of Time

Universal Genève Tri-Compax Triple Calendar stainless steel circular cased gentleman’s chronograph wristwatch and a Jaeger-LeCoultre Automatique Master Control 1000 Hours 18ct gold circular cased triple calendar gentleman’s wristwatch

Fine watches are exemplars of the art of time and have never been so sort after by collectors.

Rolex is one of the world’s strongest brands representing more than a century of precision watch making, creativity and aspiration. Many will be surprised to learn that the company we know today as Rolex was founded in London in 1905 by Alfred Davis and his brother in law Hans Wilsdorf. It traded as Wilsdorf and Davis. Hans Wilsdorf wanted his watches to bear a name that was memorable, short and easy to say in any language. In 1908 he registered the trademark ‘Rolex’. In the same year he opened an office in Switzerland. Heavy tax duties in the UK after the Great War on luxury imports and exported precious metals used in watch cases caused Wilsdorf to move the company to Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1927 Rolex developed the first waterproof and dust-proof watch named the ‘Oyster’. In 1931 this was complimented by Rolex inventing the world’s first self-winding mechanism. The 1950s Rolex Oyster Perpetual 100m-300ft Submariner stainless steel gentleman’s diver’s bracelet wristwatch made £17,500 at Toovey’s.

A Rolex Oyster Perpetual 100m-300ft Submariner stainless steel gentleman’s diver’s bracelet wristwatch

The LeCoultre watchmaking atelier was founded in 1833 in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland by Antoine LeCoultre (1803-1881). He was obsessed with accuracy manufacturing the tools necessary to make the most accurate parts to the finest calibre. In 1903 Edmond Jaeger and Jaques-David LeCoultre came together and in 1937 the Jaeger-LeCoultre name was created.

Today this tradition of fine craftsmanship continues. Jaeger-LeCoultre remains one of the only watch manufacturers which develops, decorates and produces all its timepieces in its own workshops which are still located in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Automatique Master Control 1000 Hours 18ct gold circular cased triple calendar gentleman’s wristwatch realised £3,600 at Toovey’s.

The Swiss company Universal is also one of the world’s great watchmakers. Its Tri- Compax chronographs have been celebrated since the 1930s. The Universal Genève Tri Compax triple calendar stainless steel circular cased gentleman’s chronograph wristwatch dates from the 1950s and was sold at Toovey’s for £8,500.

Each of these watches is an exemplar of the art of time. Whether you are looking to collect or sell fine watches Toovey’s watch specialist and Director, Tom Rowsell, is always delighted to share his passion for remarkable timepieces.

Master Engraver Alan Dow’s Archive Collection Sold at Toovey’s

An extremely rare Central Bank of Iraq partial banknote die proof engraver’s test strike for the obverse of a five dinars note, circa 1953

The second part of the Alan Dow archive collection has just been sold in Toovey’s first specialist auction of Coins, Banknotes and Medallions of 2025. The collection of proof banknotes, including trials and test strikes realised more than £125,000.

Toovey’s coin, banknote and medallion specialist Mark Stonard commented “This was a remarkable collection. Many of the notes were unique and illustrated the painstaking process of creating the portrait image. They were from the personal archive of the late Alan Dow, master banknote engraver to Bradbury Wilkinson & Co and the Bank of England. Alan Dow was apprenticed to the prestigious Bradbury Wilkinson where he worked for thirty years in the slow meticulous way required of a master bank note engraver. He also worked for De la Rue later in his career. Both prestigious firms in the world of printing, especially in the production of stamps and bank notes. Alan engraved onto steel plates. It would take him more than three months of painstaking work to produce the final image. He used a low powered binocular microscope to ensure accuracy but despite this his portraits have an unexpected spontaneity.”

Master Engraver Alan Dow engraving a portrait at his bench

Alan Dow engraved several portraits of HM Queen Elizabeth II for a number of our Bank Notes, but with great humility famously said that he had “…never really engraved a satisfactory portrait of the Queen. I think everyone has there own ideas as to how she looks…” I explain to Mark how Alan’s comments bring to mind a fond memory of my Grandpa who always used to refer to money as “portraits of the Queen.” Mark smiles and says “Interestingly it was two lots produced for the Middle East which achieved the highest prices. A lot of five extremely rare United Arab Emirates partial banknote progressive die proof engraver’s test strikes for the obverse of a one thousand dirhams note achieved £12,000. The extremely rare Central Bank of Iraq partial banknote die proof engraver’s test strike for the obverse of a five dinars note in red dates from around 1953. The portrait vignette is of the young King Faisal II. Also in this lot were two further die proof engraver’s test strike vignettes of King Faisal II in black. They realised £9,500.

Mark Stonard is always pleased to share his passion for coins, banknotes and medallions with collectors and specialists at Toovey’s.

Here are a few of my Favourite Things

A late Victorian ruby and diamond set necklace in the garland style

As we look towards an exciting 2025 with a number of significant collections already consigned for sale I’ve been reflecting on the art, antique and collectors’ markets which remained buoyant throughout 2024.

It remains true that the art and objects most keenly sought by collectors are those which transcended the purely decorative.

Jewellery so often reflects points of love in our lives and is a celebration of that important human purpose to be creative and make beauty in the world. Rubies are over 500 million years old and amongst the world’s most valued gemstones. As the 19th century drew to a close Victorian tastes were reinterpreted in lighter more delicate styles influenced by France’s Belle Époque which spanned from the late 19th century up until the start of the Great War in 1914. It was characterised by optimism, regional peace, economic prosperity, scientific and technological advances and an era where the arts flourished influencing the tastes of other nations including our own. Amongst my favourite things sold last year was a wonderful late 19th century gold backed, silver set, ruby and diamond necklace was in the garland style made famous by Cartier which sold for £13,000 at Toovey’s. Jewellery remains one of the strongest collectors’ markets today.

A mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold and gem sculpture, ‘Satin Bower Birds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’

There was virtuosity in the impressive mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold figure group, titled ‘Satin Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’ by S.A. Schagen which was very finely modelled. The detail and composition was superb. The sculpture measured 52cm wide and was entered by a Sussex collector. It made £200,000 at Toovey’s. It depicted a courtship display between a male dancing with wings outspread, and a female bird standing in her nest or bower made of a bed of sticks. The scene was given life with a scattering of shells, opals and agates, and two platinum and sapphire feathers. The Satin Bowerbird is a native of the forest habitats of Australia’s East Coast and New Guinea.

I founded Toovey’s almost 30 years ago. From the beginning I wanted to model a different way of being business where people, our clients and team, came first. As a business we continue to support and serve many of the charities, arts organisations, festivals, and communities which make Sussex such an exceptional place. Objects allow us to share the stories of our lives. They are the patchwork quilt of our lives. It has always been, a great privilege accompanying people through their objects and it remains so.

Community and Aspiration Remained at the Heart of Sussex in 2024

Rowan Allan at the 2024 West Grinstead and District Ploughing Match and Agricultural Society Show

2024 saw the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The values of that war time generation of courage, sacrifice and resilience in defence of freedom, justice, our shared values and way of life continue to inspire our nation.

It was fitting that the Sussex Heritage Trust chose to launch this year’s awards at St Michael and All Angels, Berwick, East Sussex. I am often humbled to reflect that our artists’ response to war was to paint scenes of love often drawn from the Christian story like the Nativity painted by Vanessa Bell at Berwick. During the summer and autumn of 1940 the Battle of Britain was fought over the skies of Sussex. The Luftwaffe failed to defeat the R.A.F. but the Germans continued the Blitz into the May of 1941. Against this backdrop Bishop Bell commissioned Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell to paint St Michael and All Angels. The parish church at Berwick is just a few miles from the artists’ home at Charleston. These well known Christian stories were retold in paint and set in the Sussex landscape and included three service men.

Some of the best examples of mixed, sustainable, regenerative agriculture are to be found here in Sussex. But this is dependent on family run farms with generations of understanding and truly long-term stewardship of land. Farming is a vocation.

Sussex Heritage Trust Chairman David Cowan and Rupert Toovey at Berwick Church

The West Grinstead and District Ploughing Match and Agricultural Society, of which Rowan Allan is a long-term Hon. Secretary, has been holding shows for over 150 years. Rowan is a great ambassador for farming and its rural communities. Like the Sussex Heritage Trust the Society seeks to encourage young people and promote best practice through its bursaries and awards. I hope the quality of stewardship you find today amongst so many family run farms in Sussex will still be possible in the face of our government’s decisions around inheritance tax and farming. It takes many generations to build up the necessary capital and resource to be able to farm in a way that balances the needs of nature and the maintenance of the land with the responsibility to feed the nation.

Despite these new challenges I find it hopeful that Toovey’s and so many local businesses continue to invest in and support charities and communities across Sussex. The work of people, charities, farmers, businesses and organisations across Sussex is hope filled and to be celebrated. I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.