8,400 CHF
Oignon with Central Fusee Gilles Martinot a Paris. Made circa 1690. Very fine and very rare, Louis XIV, gilt brass and leather, singlehand oignon watch, wound through the center, one of only three known watches with central fusee and stepped barrel. Two-body, “oignon”, the back and bezel overlaid with leather, loose ring pendant. Engraved gilt with radial blue Roman numerals on white enamel cartouches, inner white enamel quarterhour ring, the center decorated with strapwork and foliage. Steel tulip hand. 49 mm, frosted gilt full plate, divided Egyptian pillars, fusee and chain, the short fusee with three spirals mounted centrally and directly wound from the center, the barrel with undertier for the fusee chain coils, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance with short spring, chased cock decorated with symmetrical inhabited foliage and strapwork, Tompion-type regulator with silver scale disc. Movement signed. Diam. 61 mm. Notes The present watch is one of only three known examples of an oignon watch with the feature of a central fusee. The winding arbor, also carrying the hand, leads directly through to the fusee. To fit this arrangement beneath the escapement and within the confines of a normal sized movement, the fusee is very short with only three spirals, the barrel is normal sized but again due to space limits it has a lower inset tier beneath, which takes up the coils of the chain. The main advantage of this arrangement was that it gave the watch up to 30 hours o
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2008-11-16
