'Complicated' watch from 1907 sets world record at auction

A pocket watch made in Coventry in 1907 has set a new world record after being sold at an auction in Switzerland.

Carl Player, 31, from Coventry, said the antique, which was made by his great-great grandfather, had been estimated to fetch £1m.

But it set a new record with auctioneers Phillips Watches confirming it sold for 2,238,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to £2,122,896.

The timepiece includes moon phases, an alarm and thermometer and was described as "one of the world's most complicated vintage pocket watches ever made".

Mr Player, who attended the auction in Geneva, said he felt a "connection" to his ancestor when he held the device.

He said: "The day before they invited us to the exhibition so I actually got to hold the watch.... Even though I didn't meet my great-great grandfather, by holding that watch, I felt a connection to him."

After the Decade One auction on 9 November, auctioneers Phillips said the sale of the J Player & Sons Hyper Complication Pocket Watch had set a world record for an antique British pocket watch.

The auction brochure, external described J Player & Son as a Coventry-based firm, known for complex and ornate timepieces.

The brochure said the watch "demonstrated the incredible technical prowess of English watchmaking at the time", referring to it as "one of the most complicated English timepieces ever made, external".

Mr Player said the company was founded in 1858 by Joseph Player who created the first keyless watch and made devices for the Royal Observatory.

The firm went on to make marine chronometers and pocket watches for the public.

"In the 1900s, England was the home of watch-making before Switzerland," he said.

He said Coventry had an estimated 2,000 watch-makers, many specialising in components such as springs and dials.

The watch took about four years to make, he said.

Phillips said the identities of the sellers and buyers were confidential.

Mr Player said the owner, who acquired it in 1974, had kept it for 51 years.

"We believe it's either an American or British owner," he said. "He didn't want his name in the paper."

A spokeswoman for the auctioneers said the "two-day, white-glove sale" had 1,885 registered bidders across 72 countries.

"Almost 800 collectors and enthusiasts attended the auction in person," she said, "and the atmosphere throughout the weekend reflected a sense of friendship and celebration."