The department holds two focused and thoughtfully curated Fine auctions annually, in Spring and Autumn, with other pieces included in the regular Interiors auctions. Single owner collections often appear in the Fine sales.

Leighton Gillibrand is Head of the department and is a long tenured enthusiast for the field. He consistently provides an extremely high standard of research and scholarship in the presentation of all works. His auction catalogues are internationally recognised for the quality of information provided and are trusted by leading collectors and institutions. The catalogue also serves as an important record for the vendor whilst providing detailed and relevant information to the buyer.

The department has achieved numerous record prices (including the highest price for a clock sold in the UK regional market) and enjoys the highest selling rates in this market.

As a respected published authority in the field of early English clockmaking Leighton offers unrivalled in-house specialist knowledge in this area. The department has also built a reputation for being the leading auctioneer of horological tools and books including The Library & Workshop of John Hooper, The Horological Library of Charles Allix and The Horological Library of Michael Hurst. Demand and interest in horological libraries such as these continue to be extremely strong and each was 100% sold by lot.

Dreweatts is the only auctioneer to have offered a single owner sale dedicated entirely to barometers and meteorological instruments: The Banfield Collection of Barometers, featuring stick, wheel and aneroid barometers and barographs, from 1680 to the present day, and every lot was sold.

Scientific Instruments – devices or tools used for scientific purposes, including the study of natural phenomena as well as research – continue to be an important section within the Fine sales.