Baltazar Martinot II (l'aisné), the most illustrious amongst a large family of dock and watchmakers. Born in Rouen in 1636, the eldest son of Baltazar and Catherine Hubert. He was established in Paris before 1683, and died at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1714. He held the titles of Horloger ordinaire to King Louis XII and the Council, and was also Horloger to the Queen, Anne of Austria, a title which he inherited upon the death of bis father-inlaw, Pierre Belon, in 1665.At the time of the Edict of Mars in 1700, it was Baltazar who made the largest declaration of stock. In 1695, he organised, in company with Nicolas Gribelin (see lot 33), a lottery of watches etc. at Court, and supplied clocks to the Dauphin, Louis XIV and many of the wealthy amongst the aristocracy. The bezel and band of the case are in gold, whilst the centre of the back is of gilt brass pinned into position. In view of the outstanding workmanship of the case, it seems unlikely that this combination would have been decided upon for reasons of economy. Several explanation present themselves, but the following seem most likely: that the use of a brass plate would add additional strength and stiffness to the mounting of the bell, therefore allowing xthe best possible sounding. It is of course not possible to enamel on brass, and the richness of colours and quality of work would not be comparable if executed on copper. Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, is the fact that there were restrictions and taxes on the use of gold, notably following the Edict of Mars, which obliged the clockmakers to make a declaration of their stocks, and indeed Ied to the seizure of unregistered items in the immediate aftermath. An almost identical watch by the sanie maker, was sold by Antiquorum on 14 November 1993, lot No. 41 of L'Art de l'Horlogerie en France.