Lot 163

Marche à Rouen

An exquisite, single-handed verge pocket watch "Oignon"

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This fine French Oignon watch is powered by a gilded movement with baluster movement pillars. Chain/fusee and gear train are positioned between the plates, the four-arm brass balance with spring is protected by a cock lavishly ornamented with foliage, birds and shellwork. The gilt dial is decorated in the same way in the centre. It features an exquisite single hour hand which points to the black enamelled hour cartouches.

"Oignons" were most popular in France during the last 30 years of the Sun King’s reign; only a few of them were produced later than that. Single-handed oignons are always wound through the hand's pivot where a central steel wheel under the dial transmits the power to another wheel on the worm gear shaft. Presumably there were workshops in France that produced ebauches for oignons, however, as of today no such ebauche has ever surfaced. Oignons have a large gap between the plates which means that the parts of the movement are well visible; the viewer can easily see the individual parts and how they work like in a large-scale model - this was part of the great appeal these watches had. The oignon is robust and useful pocket watches that - in contrast to the previous pocket and pendant watches at the time - shows the time with adequate accuracy.