91st Auction
2015/5/16
Lot 594
Berthoud Père & fils à Fleurier, 54 mm, 104 g, circa 1795
A gentleman's fine pocket watch with jumping, stoppable centre seconds and Pouzait lever escapement
Case: 18k rose gold, glazed on both sides, seconds stop lever at "3", small wheel for hand setting at "4". Dial: enamel, radial Roman hours, centre seconds, gold spade hands. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, firegilt, florally engraved, signed on the movement band, large five-arm impeller-shaped balance studded with precious stones, sector-shaped and skeletonized, florally engraved balance cock, brass escape wheel with 12 half-cylindrical vertical pins, chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
Berthoud Père
Berthoud père was Jean-Jaques Henri Berthoud (1736-1811). He trained his five sons to be watchmakers; the brand "Berthoud père & fils", however, only existed for about half a century - from mid 18th century to the early 19th century, because the four brothers of Jean-Louis Berthoud soon abandoned watchmaking in favour of other professions. None of the five brothers‘ descendants ever took up watchmaking as a profession.
Jean-Moïse Pouzait (1743 - 1793)
He was born in Geneva. He was the head of the first school of Horology in Geneva and invented the independent dead seconds watch in 1776. In 1786 he improved the anchor escapement.
Source: G.H. Baillie "Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World", 2nd edition, Edinburgh/London 1947, p. 257.
A gentleman's fine pocket watch with jumping, stoppable centre seconds and Pouzait lever escapement
Case: 18k rose gold, glazed on both sides, seconds stop lever at "3", small wheel for hand setting at "4". Dial: enamel, radial Roman hours, centre seconds, gold spade hands. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, firegilt, florally engraved, signed on the movement band, large five-arm impeller-shaped balance studded with precious stones, sector-shaped and skeletonized, florally engraved balance cock, brass escape wheel with 12 half-cylindrical vertical pins, chatoned diamond endstone on balance.
Berthoud Père
Berthoud père was Jean-Jaques Henri Berthoud (1736-1811). He trained his five sons to be watchmakers; the brand "Berthoud père & fils", however, only existed for about half a century - from mid 18th century to the early 19th century, because the four brothers of Jean-Louis Berthoud soon abandoned watchmaking in favour of other professions. None of the five brothers‘ descendants ever took up watchmaking as a profession.
Jean-Moïse Pouzait (1743 - 1793)
He was born in Geneva. He was the head of the first school of Horology in Geneva and invented the independent dead seconds watch in 1776. In 1786 he improved the anchor escapement.
Source: G.H. Baillie "Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World", 2nd edition, Edinburgh/London 1947, p. 257.
Sold
estimated
6.500—8.500 €
Price realized
10.200 €