19,550 CHF
Le Roy à Paris, circa 1770, made by the eminent Pierre Le Roy, son of Julien. Extremely rare and important silver skeletonized watch with special escapement. Specially made, slightly later, double body with glazed back and polished bezels. Contemporary, white enamel with Roman numerals and outer Arabic minute ring (restored). Gold Louis XV hands. Fully skeletonized, hinged gilt brass full plate with baluster pillars, fusee with chain, special Sully type frictional rest escapement as improved by Pierre Le Roy for the so-called La Petite Ronde. Plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring and garnet end-stone. Signed on the movement. In good condition. Diam. 46 mm. Notes If the movement of this watch, signed: Le Roy à Paris, could have a full signature (there is no room for a longer one), it would have been "Julien Le Roy" as the eminent Pierre carried out the business of his father under the same name. As far as this movement is not numbered and appears to be the unique example to be skeletonized in all works of Pierre Le Roy, we might think it was specially made to demonstrate the escapement divised to be fitted on the pocket watches à l'usage des astronomes et des marins, and described in: La Meilleure Manière de Mesurer le Teins en Mer, 1770, p. 60 : " I have finished several watches in this way; for this purpose I have given to the escape wheel such a size that it reaches as far as the dial plate one way and the balance spring the other; I have also given t
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1993-11-14
