This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2020
Solid Silver Prediction Watch. London: Jon Martin, 1940s. The magician shows that the hands of the watch spin freely, then writes the name of a chosen time on a business card which he lays face down on the table. A spectator is now invited to spin the stem of the closed watch at will, stopping wherever she wishes. When the case of the watch is opened, the time is noted and it is indeed a perfect match to the prediction that has been laying on the table in full view. Hallmarked solid sliver pocket watch with engraved case, fob, velvet carrying bag and leather container, and accompanied by instructions from Granville Taylor (Faust the Magician), describing the history and working of the timepiece. Rare. Made to order for famed London magic dealer Ken Brooke by Martin, the watch later passed into the hands of Brooke’s manager, and then two other magicians before Faust. Martin himself was a watchmaker, and the subtle mechanism incorporated into the works of this watch operate differently than the sought-after Stull watches so favored by performers and collectors.