Tipu Sultan's watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1768-1769
Gold pair case with verge escapement. Signed Ellicott London. The case, hallmarked London 1768-9, bears the maker's mark TL with star above for Thomas Layton. The watch was taken from the treasury of Tipu Sultan at the Siege of Seringapatam in May 1799 when the British army defeated the ruler of Mysore in southern India.
On the back is an engraved inscription: 'This watch was found on the person of Tippoo, Sultan of Mysore on his death and was presented to the Indian Museum by Colonel Edmund Frederick Waterman (Madras Staff Corps) specially to carry out the wishes of his late dear wife, a daughter of Brigadier Robert McDowell into whose hands as Lieut. R. McDowell the watch came on the 4th May 1799'.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Materials and techniques
- Gold
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O120638
- Museum object number
- 03173(IS)
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.