Lemaire (Nicolas-Constant

Lemaire (Nicolas-Constant), Paris, circa 1793. Unusual and rare silver early dead centre seconds stop-watch with special escapement. Three body, Empire with gold rims, reeded band and engine-turned back, bearing the mark set at the request of the silversmith masters of Paris in 1793. Hinged gilt brass cuvette. White enamel with Roman numerals (almost invisible hair lines). Blued steel Breguet hands. GiIt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain and maintaining power, virgule escapement. Plain brass three-arm balance, gilt brass continental cock with polished steel end-piece. Dead centre seconds device with roller and wolf tooth wheel and pinion. Signed on the dial. In very good condition. Diam. 57 mm. Notes Following the French Revolution, many of the laws and institutions associated with the monarchy were withdrawn or annulled, and in several cases, not immediately replaced. One such was the official hallmarking of objects made in precious metal, for the Assemblée Législative cancelled the law on the 1 st. of October 1791. Naturally, with no official controls, sub-standard silver and gold began to flood the market, with the result that the master goldsmiths, as members of the recognised guild introduced their own control mark -'Head of a Greek woman' with the letter 'P'- in 1793, as a self-policed guarantee for the quality of silver. As this single mark was applied to objects made in both 1 st.(958) and 2nd.(843) standard metal, the Guild decided