Deranton à Paris

Deranton à Paris, No. 899, circa 1800. Fine and highly unusual rock crystal silver mounted watch in the Renaissance style, with a special escapement. Duo-decagonal lobed two-part frame, the border engraved with foliage patterns, with lobed rock-crystal cover and back. Loose-ring pendant and button final. Silver chapter ring with Roman numerals, the half pour division with applied navette silver rosettes, the pierced and engraved centre of gilt brass. Gold "beetle" hands. Hinged gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, going barrel, unusual cylinder escapement with a large brass escape wheel with 26 teeth, set on the back plate and protected by a large gilt brass pierced and engraved cock, plain steel three arm balance, flat balance spring, gilt brass pierced and engraved continental cock with polished steel end-piece. Signed on the escape wheel cock. In very good condition. Diam. 45 mm. Notes Deranton was watchmaker in Nancy before he settled in Paris in 1770. He was presumably the pupil of Arnould in Nancy, reputed to be the inventor of the cylinder escapement with 26 teeth escape wheel set on the back plate, protected by a cock. This escapement is fairly rare, the few examples known to exist were made by Arnould or by Ls. François in Metz, who according to the proximity of the two towns, could have been another pupil of Arnould. In the latter half of the XVIIIth century there was no developed tradition for copying Renaissance and Gothic styles. This came fron