Consulting
Alexander specialises in antique and vintage watches, with over 25 years of experience as a researcher and cataloguer. His expertise is enriched by an extensive resource library amassed over the past quarter century, featuring a vast collection of horological books, including many rare and out-of-print volumes. Additionally, Alexander has assembled a remarkable archive of nearly 2,000 auction catalogues, including invaluable examples dating back to the 1940s. This archive features catalogues from esteemed auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Galerie Genevoise d’Horlogerie Ancienne/Antiquorum, and Auktionen Dr. H. Crott.
Alexander’s career began in 1996 at Sotheby’s auctioneers in London. In 2002, he was posted to Geneva to lead Sotheby’s watch auctions in Switzerland. Spending much of his time travelling globally to view, value, and sell antique and vintage watches, Alex returned to London in 2005, where he became Deputy Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s watch department. In 2009, he left Sotheby’s to become an independent watch consultant, advising auction houses and art-based institutions. In 2011, Alex co-founded Black Bough. He is also a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the world’s oldest surviving horological institution, established by Royal Charter in 1631.
Catalogues & Publications
Over the past decade, Alex Barter has been responsible for researching and writing catalogues for several significant pocket watch collections, including:
The Henry Graves Jr. Patek Philippe Supercomplication (Sotheby’s Geneva 2014)
George Daniels Masterpieces
Including the Space Travellers’ Watch
(Sotheby’s London 2017)
The Yellow Gold Patek Philippe Calibre 89
(Sotheby’s Geneva 2017)
The Celebration of the English Watch:
Part I – David Ramsay and the First Clockmakers’ Court Part I (Sotheby’s London 2015)
Part II – John Harrison’s Enduring Discovery
(Sotheby’s London 2016)
Part III – The Genius of Thomas Tompion
(Sotheby’s London 2016)
Part IV – George Daniels Twentieth Century Innovator (Sotheby’s 2017)
Masterworks of Time:
Part I – George Daniels Visionary
(Sotheby’s London 2019)
Part II – Adolf Lange, The Golden Era of Glashütte
(Sotheby’s Geneva 2019)
Part III – Abraham-Louis Breguet, Horologist Extraordinaire (Sotheby’s London 2020)
Part IV – Splendours for the East
(Sotheby’s Geneva 2020)
Part V – Masterworks online
(Sotheby’s London 2022)
The Collection of a Connoisseur
(Sotheby’s London 2020)
Centuries of Time
(Sotheby’s Geneva 2023)
Roger Smith’s Personal White Gold Daniels Millennium & George Daniels Anniversary No.1
(Sotheby’s Geneva 2023)
Property from the Collection of an Erudite Collector
(Sotheby’s Geneva & New York 2024)
Alex has published two books and contributed numerous essays and articles to a variety of publications. His first book, The Watch: A Twentieth-Century Style History, was originally published in 2019, with a new edition released in September 2023. His second book, 500 Years | 100 Watches, co-written and produced with Daryn Schnipper, Chairman Emeritus of Sotheby’s Watch Division, was also published in 2023.
Roger Smith’s Millennium and the George Daniels Anniversary No. 1
I was recently asked to research and write the catalogue for two exceptional watches: Roger Smith’s personal white gold Millennium watch and the first George Daniels ‘Anniversary’ wristwatch.
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The George Daniels Space Traveller Watches
Handling both of George Daniels’s Space Traveller watches within a space of two years was incredibly exciting, especially as no.1 had not been seen in public for over 30 years
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A watch by Richard Masterson
Originality and quality is always key for collectors of antique watches, so when this 17th century watch suddenly resurfaced at auction in 2020, I hot footed it to the viewing.
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