Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, May 14, 2017

LOT 494

POSSIBELY BY JOSIAH EMERY,VERY IMPORTANT EARLY LEVER ESCAPEMENT,ONE OF ONLY 36 BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MADE. Signed by Gayetano Sanchez in London. Movement made circa 1790,later silver case with London hallmarks for 1831-1832. Very important silver Chronometer with an early lever escapement after Mudge in mahogany fitted display box. Retail by H.I. Mackinney in Islington.

CHF 7,000 - 9,000

HKD 56,000 - 72,000 / USD 7,000 - 9,000

TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE

Sold: CHF 9,750

Three-body, consular, polished, maker's mark "P.W", swivel pendant. White enamel, of regulator type with Roman chapter, outer Arabic minute ring and subsidiaiy seconds.Signed H.I. Mackinney in Islington. Gold spade hands. Gilt brass full plate with cylindrical pillars, fusee with chair and maintaùning power, straight fine lever escapement derived directly from the model supplied by Thomas Mudge, the inventon The polished steel escape wheel with all the lift on the pallets, but without any draw. Safety action is provided by a gold dart and a steel roller with a rectangular slot to allow the dart to pass at the appropriate moment. Arnold "double-S" type balance built on a gilt brass four-am wheel, the bimetallic "S" pieces are each held by two rivets to a blued steel hollow lenticular-shaped frame secured to the balance wheel itself by two screws, the free end of each "S" piece cannes a threaded rod and a gold quarter nut for poising and mean tune adjustnnent, two additional gold quarter screws are fitted in slotted brackets. Helical blued steel balance sprnng. Typical Emery gilt brass cock engraved with foliage, diamond endstone. Bayonet fit gilt brass dust cap signed by Gayetano Sanchez en Londres Ano 1792.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3-8

Good

Slightly scratched
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-73-01

Good

ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Chipped under bezel,not visible when closed

HANDS Original

Notes

DIAM. 71 mm. Very fine re-cased example from the first series of watches with lever escapements ever made. The escapement was inventedn1 the late 1750's by Thomas Mudge, who used it in at least two clocks and two or theee watches. Cotunt von Bruhl, envoy at the English Court from the kingdom of Saxony, and Mudge 's patron and friend, asked him to make a model of the lever escapement in order to publicise it and to establish Mudge as the inventon Von Bruhl, who was clearly aware of its potential, managed to persuade Josiah Emery to make a series of watches employing the escapement and was one of the first to own one. Mudge had left London for Plymouth in 1771 and was almost totally preoccupied with the construction of his marine time-keepers, so it was increasingly unlikely that he would use the escapement again hnnself. Over the period from 1781 until 1795, Emery is thought to have made about thirty-six watches of this type, the earliest k nown is No. 806, made circa 1780, the last one, No. 1379, in 1795. It is now established that the lever escapement was untroduced to France via one of Emery's lever watches. According to Ferdinand Berthoud, Sarron had one sent from London towards the middle of 1782. A model of the escapement was also obtained and is now un the Musée National des Techniques (C.N.A.M.) un Paris. Chabet and Puiségur each had one of these watches, which were copied by Robert Robin in about 1784. Louis Berthoud was also unspired by them for his first pocket chronometers. To be sold without reserve