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Isah was a renowned horologist and his contacts in Freetown and Dakar would call him to take a trip when they had enough watches for him to tend to.

Nicknamed "the grand complication", it is believed to be the most valuable watch in the world, and represents something of a holy grail for horologists.

As a horologist — a repairer of devices that measure time — he restored intricate and rare pieces in a workshop at his family homestead in rural western Alabama.

Friday, the Keeper of the Great Clock and his team of horologists tested the bells, and crowds gathered nearby at Whitehall to honor Armistice Day heard the old boy bong again.

The watch auction on Wednesday will include three watches designed by the famed Parisian horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet, whose timepieces adorned European royalty in the 17th and 18th centuries, including Marie Antoinette.