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A fine Le Coultre wristwatch that belonged to the celebrated actor Sir John Mills until his death earlier this year, is to sell at Bonhams' sale of Fine Watches on 29 November at 101 New Bond Street, London.

Sir John Mills (1908 - 2005), one of Britain's most popular and beloved actors, appeared in over 100 films during a career that spanned eight decades. His consistently excellent and distinguished performances earned him the reputation as one of the leading lights of his generation, and he was voted 9th in the 2001 Orange Film Survey of the greatest British actors. Appearing most recently in Stephen Fry's 'Bright Young Things' (2003) and Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' (1996), Sir John is perhaps best remembered for his roles in such classic films as 'In Which We Serve' (1942), 'Scott of the Antarctic' (1948), 'Great Expectations' (1946), 'Ice-Cold in Alex' (1958), 'Oh! What a Lovely War' (1969), The Thirty-Nine Steps' (1978) and 'Ghandi' (1982). A photograph of the actor wearing the watch on the set of the 1956 epic 'War and Peace,' in which he played Platon Karatsev, is included in the lot.

The historically important steel and 9ct gold reversible manual wind watch dates from 1937 and is engraved on the back 'JOHN MARY 16.1.41' - the date of his marriage to playwright Mary Hayley Bell. Because he was serving in the army at the time, a church service was not possible. Aged 92, he and Mary renewed their wedding vows at St Mary's Church in Denham, Buckinghamshire.

The extremely elegant timepiece will sell with a small number of photographs of the actor wearing the watch for an estimate of £3,000 - 4,000.

The sale contains nearly 250 wrist and pocket watches by some of the finest makers of all time - such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, A. Lange & Söhne, Omega, Jaeger le Coultre - with estimates ranging from £300 - 70,000.

The sale's top lot is a fine and rare 18ct white gold Patek Philippe wristwatch Ref. 5004 with perpetual calendar, moon phase and split-second chronograph, sold originally in April 2001. The movement of this hugely complex watch consists of a total of 407 hand-finished parts and is expected to fetch between £50,000 - 70,000.

A very fine Rolex, estimated at £25,000 - 30,000 and sold originally in 1952, is another of the sale's highlights. It is a stainless steel automatic triple calendar wristwatch with phases of the moon, and remains in original and outstanding condition. During their history, Rolex have manufactured only two versions of moonphase calendar wristwatches, and this version is today one of the most desirable examples of Rolex watches available.

The sale also includes an open-faced calendar pocket watch that was originally sold on 29 January 1819 to William Legge, the 4th Earl of Dartmouth (1784 - 1853) during his stay at the Hotel Mirabeau, Rue de la Paix, Paris. This fine Breguet instrument, estimated at £12,000 - 18,000, will be sold together with a hand-written note relating to the watch.

Some highly unusual watches decorated with enamel and pearl are also to go under the hammer. A rare mid 19th century gold and enamel ladies bracelet with concealed enamel fob watch by Henry Capt features a reproduction in enamel of 'Rapheals Madonna della Sedia,' and is expected to fetch up to £3,000. Similarly, a highly decorative early 19th century Swiss 18ct gold enamel and pearl decorated pocket watch depicting an Arcadian scene is estimated at £4,000 - 6,000. A delightful selection of more modern ladies' watches, mostly in bracelet form and some embellished with pearls and diamonds, are included at prices ranging from £700 - 3,000. A rare 1930s 'lighter' watch by Dunhill makes a lovely novelty item at £1,800 - 2,200.

A fine and extremely rare pocket watch with calendar, world time indicator and times of sunrise and sunset by Augustin Moré of Paris is a charming and intricate example of late 18th century Parisian craftsmanship. The outer dial is marked for 24 world cities with Paris at the top, and with fine painted miniatures representing the signs of the zodiac, and a calendar with days of the week in French. This exquisite example of early Horological engineering is estimated at £8,000 - 12,000.

For the more technical minded, a fine and rare automatic platinum wristwatch by A. Lange & Söhne with perpetual calendar, moon phases and special fitted winding box is sure to invite enthusiasm. Production of watches of this reference - Ref: 310.025 - started in 2001. It will be sold complete with certificate at an estimate of £25,000 - 35,000. Another fine modern example is an 18ct white gold wristwatch by Richard Mille, originally sold in 2004. Mille's timepieces break new ground in terms of their design, often taking inspiration from Formula One race cars, material and production processes. This stylish example is estimated at £10,000 - 15,000

For more details visit the Bonhams web site.