La Chasse” Jaques Morel

“La Chasse” Jaques Morel, Geneva, circa 1690. Fine and rare, silver, pair-cased, early balance spring, single-hand pocket watch with alarm. Outer: two-body, silver and leather-covered copper, silver studs and ringed sound holes. Inner: two-body, “bassine”, split bezel, polished back, the band pierced and engraved with a huntsman and dogs chasing a hare amongst inhabited foliage, loose ring pendant. Silver with radial Roman numerals, inner quarter-hour divisions, center with revolving silver alarm disc with champlevé radial Arabic numerals and fitted with steel “tulip” hour pointer. Blued steel “poker” alarm setting hand. 37 mm, hinged, frosted gilt full-plate with vase pillars, fusee and chain, 4-wheel train set on the periphery of the plates, verge escapement, brass balance with flat balance spring, pierced and engraved foliate continental balance cock, regulation slide, steel alarm train with gilt brass pierced foliate spring barrel. Movement signed. Diam. 52 mm. Notes This is a good example of early Geneva watchmaking, shortly after the 1675 invention of the balance spring by Huygens. The watch still features a single hand and the train runs around the periphery of the movement, later trains curved into the center for the center wheel onto which the minute hand was fitted. It has an unusual balance end-screw instead of the brass plug which was common at the time. The two-footed cock is typical of Genevan work of the time. Jaques Morel A master horologist, he taught J