7,475 CHF
“Early Balance Spring” Claude Raillard a Paris. Made circa 1685. Very fine, silver, early balance spring pendant watch with alarm and single hand and without fusee. Two-body, “bassine” polished split bezel, polished back, the band finely pierced and engraved with inhabited scrolling foliage, a pair of engraved dolphins flanking the pendant, turned pendant with loose ring bow. Silver, champlevé, radial Roman numerals and lozenge half-hour markers, inner quarter hour ring, central alarm disc with radial Arabic numerals, fixed steel tulip pointer. Blued steel hand. 37 mm., hinged gilt-brass full plate with turned vase pillars, fixed spring barrel, short four-wheel train set on the periphery, verge escapement, plain threearm steel balance with rack and pinion regulator, early balance spring, gilt-brass balance cock pierced and engraved in three separated openwork sectors allowing the balance spring to be seen, small irregular foot secured by a screw, delicate blued-steel spring and click for the ratchet wheel set-up. Steel alarm train with foliate pierced gilt brass spring barrel, sounding on a bell mounted in the back of the case. Movement signed. Diam. 44 mm. Notes This is a good example of early Parisian watchmaking, shortly after the 1675 invention of the balance spring by Huygens. The one-footed trefoil cock is typical of the Parisian production of the time, as is the avance/retard regulator. Claude Raillard II Working in Paris between 1680 and 1692.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2005-11-13
