? Urquhart Sold at Auction Prices

(*) Breguet à Paris, No. 1850, 50 mm, circa 1870

Very fine hunting cased watch presented to Captain William Urquhart for rescue at high seas Case: 18k rose gold, front with coat of arms, back with engraved initials, gold hinged cuvette. Inscription for Captain Urquhart inside front cover. Dial: white enamel, Roman hours, outer red minutes, secret signature below 12, gold spade hands. Movm.: rhodiumed bar caliber, 19 jewels, lever escapement, gold screw compensation balance. Captain Urquhart’s claim to fame came from his role in rescuing passengers from the French liner "Ville du Havre", which was the second largest in the world. It was rammed by the British sailing vessel "Loch Earn" in the middle of the Atlantic on the night of November 21, 1873. Captain Urquhart was in command of the American ship "Trimountain" and was heavily involved in the rescue of the survivors of the "Ville duHavre". For this he was honoured by the owners of the "Ville du Havre", the Companie Generale Transantlatique which presented him with this precious watch.