9,775 CHF
Lépine, Horloger du Roy, A Paris, No. 2193, circa 1775. Very fine and interesting, 18K gold quarter-repeating à toc pendant watch. Accompanied by gold chain and gold ratchet watch key. Two-body, Lepine type with concealed hinge and opening via twisting the pendant, engine-turned back, bezels decorated with applied varicolored gold floral motives, hinged, gilt cuvette. White enamel, radial Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions with five-minute Arabic markers. Gold pierced hands. Notes This watch features most of Lepine’s horological inventions: In 1763 he invented a new type of repeating mechanism in which the hour and quarter racks were placed directly on the winding arbor. The new design was a great improvement, eliminating the fragile winding chain. It also gave the system better stability, decreased friction, saved room and simplified the mechanism. This was a great improvement in repeating watches. The 1763 Mémoir of the Académie des Sciences, in the chapter "Machines ou inventions approuvées par l’Académie en 1763", gives a very favorable report of Lépine’s invention. This system is incorporated in this watch, which also features his other inventions: a wolf-tooth barrel - wolf teeth being considerably stronger than regular symmetrical ones, Lepine used them on the racks of most of his repetition work; a 2-piece case with concealed hinge, and elegant way of opening the case by twisting the pendant.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2004-11-14
