L\'ART DE L\'HORLOGERIE EN FRANCE DE ...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Nov 14, 1993

LOT 36

Gloria à Dieppe, circa 1690. Fine and extremely rare, silver-cased Louis XIV " oignon", with moon-phase astronomical calendar, without fusee and with Gloria's worm-screw regulator.

CHF 18,000 - 22,000

Sold: CHF 27,600

C. Double body, oignon, polished. D. Silver champleve with Roman numerals, quarter and half hour divisions, with inner date ring, the gilt centre engraved with summer flowers on a matted ground, with semi-circular aperture for the silver moon phase Bisk, calendar scale on the edge. Blued-steel single hand for hours and pointer for date. M. Hinged gilt brass full plate with urn pillars, the going train with fixed barrel, silver 30 hour power reserve indicator, verge escapement, plain steel three-arm balance, short flat balance spring with worm-screw regulator, fine gilt brass Louis XIV cock pierced and engraved in three separated open-work sectors, allowing the balance spring to be seen. Signed on the back plate. In very good condition. Diam. 53 mm.


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Notes

Gloria (Jacques ler.) \vas born in Dieppe circa 1640, married Madeleine Barry circa 1670, and had a son (Jacques II), born shortly afterwards, and a daughter. In 1696, two years after the English bombarded Dieppe, Gloria was installed as Mâitre in Rouen. There he was Garde in 1701, and died in 1705. That Gloria \vas the first to make watches without fusee is mentioned under the previous lot. In addition it should be noted that virtually all such watches have a power reserve dial for 30 hours on the back plate. In order to overcome the vide variations in force resulting from the unregulated mainspring as it ran clown, stop-work was fitted to ensure the use of only the central portion which supplied a relatively constant force for about 30 hours. The power reserve dial served the dual purpose of controlling the set-up and enabling the owner to know the state of winding -a useful aid in view of there being no fusee judge from. Another feature of the 'fusee-less' oignons was the 'endless screw' or 'straight-line' regulator, employed by Gloria and his associates, and very similar to that invented in England by Barrow. For a short period Gloria vas followed by several clockmakers in Rouen, Dieppe, Caen and Abbeville, but the idea lasted no more than 15 to 20 years. Usually the watches are straight-forward, without the least complication; this is apparently the only known example with an astronomical dial. Literature: Illustrated and described in G. Grandjean, A Chapiro, Gloria A Rouen, Musée De Rouen, 1990