75,900 CHF
Antide Janvier à Paris, “Garde Temps d’Observations”, circa 1820 Almost certainly unique silver Timekeeper. Double body drum shaped, polished with hinged moulded bezel. White enamel with radial Roman numer-alsand subsidiary seconds. Blued steel Breguet hands. Gilt brass full plate with column pillars, fusee with chainand maintaining power, cylinder escapement, plain brass treee-arm balance, helical balance spring. The balancecan be stopped at will by means of a small bolt on the dial edge. Winding hole on the base with revolving shutter.Diam. 73 mm. Notes This previously unrecorded table timekeeper is almost certainly unique in the work of Antide Janvier. In spite of the cylinder escapement the construction of this piece is similar to that of a marine chronometer of the period, with fusee and maintaining power and the blued steel helical balance spring. The circular aperture on the back plate enables one to see the escapement as on the rare small travelling clocks built by Antide Janvier at the beginning of his career, and the craftsmanship is superb. The simplicity of the drum case and the stopwatch device, lead one to think that this time-keeper was made by Janvier as a workshop timer for his own personal use.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-05-15
