Frederic Courvoisier

Frederic Courvoisier, La Chaux-de-Fonds, No. 49886, carriage by Ernest Guinand, circa 1854. Exceptionally fine and rare 18K gold hunting-cased keyless pocket chronometer, with one-minute tourbillon regulator with pivoted detent escapement and amplitude-controlling device. Five-body, all hinged, "bassine et filets", engine-turned, gold hinged cuvette. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary sunk seconds. Elaborate pierced blued steel hands. Notes Courvoisier's success was to a large extent due to the high quality of his watches. On October 20, 1991 Antiquorum sold, as lot 354, another of his tourbillons from about 1850 with 3-arm equidistant carriage with pivoted detent escapement, which appears to be one of the earliest made in Switzerland with a straight-arm carriage-later to be a favorite of the famous Albert Favre-Pellaton. Courvoisier was apparently ahead of his time on this occasion. Ernest Guinand (c. 1810-1879). He was an important Master Horologist from Le Locle, who, along with Auguste Grether from Ponts-de-Martel 1817-1879, specialized in the production of tourbillon carriages. According to the records of the Neuchâtel Observatory, Guinand's production of tourbillons began between 1865 and 1867. He designed three models of Tourbillon carriages, always based on an A-shaped frame. He worked for several important makers, including Girard-Perregaux and Montandon. The Observatory of Neuchâtel records indicate that the number of tourb