Tschiffelj

Tschiffelj, Berne, Swiss, circa 1740. Extremely rare and fine silver pair cased watch with special verge escapement. Double body outer, oignon type, polished. Inner bassine, polished. White enamel with Roman numerals and outer Arabic minute ring. Diamondset Louis XV hands. Hinged gilt brass with baluster pillars, fusee with chain, very rare and unusual verge escapement with horizontal double escape wheel, plain brass three-arm balances, flat balance spring, gilt brass continental cock with polished steel end-piece. Signed on the back plate. In very good condition. Diam. 47 mm. Notes Very few watches with this type of escapement are known to exist, they are all made by watchmakers from La Neuveville in the Jura Bernois, even if they worked later in other places. A similar watch was described by J.C. Sabrier in L ' Horlogerie Anciennae, bulletin of A.N.C.A.H.A. No. 19. An other similar watch by Bellejean, Neuveville, from the Glicken collection, was sold by Antiquorum in Geneva in October 1994, lot 25.