Exceptional Collectors Timepieces, Ho...
Geneva, May 15, 2005
LOT 11
Lergier, la Chaux de Fonds, No. 13. Middle of the 19th century. Very fine and very rare cast-iron, steel and brass full-size engine turning machine for the produc-tion of circular and straight-line guilloche. Mounted upon a hardwood bench, driven by turning a crank handle geared by leather ropes to a large cast-iron wheel, the faceplate suspended from a rope with pulley and cast-iron weight to allow up-and-down motion against the cutting tool, the tool-stock with centering and angle adjustment, pattern selec-tion wheel allowing five different patterns to be produced. Dim. 115 x 58 x 150 cm overall. In good condition, cleaned
CHF 22,000 - 27,000
EUR 14,000 - 17,000 / USD 19,000 - 23,000
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Notes
Lergier Was originally from Geneva; he is known only to have made machines for engine turning. ?Guillochage? or engine turning This is the technique of mechanical engraving used in watchmaking for cases and dials, it offers a great vari-ety of decorative finishes. The effect is acheived by the offering up of the piece to a cutting tool set in a fixed position. The face-plate holding the work moves against the cutting surface of the tool and is geared to a pre-selected shaped cam which moves the face-plate in a regular motion to create the desired pattern. As well as circular designs, the face-plate can be moved vertically against the tool to create various striped patterns. Until the early 19th century watches were often presented in elaborately decorated and bulbous cases. It was Abraham Louis Breguet who decided that he would eliminate superfluous decoration from his cases and with the introduction of guillochage a whole range of possibilities were opened up. Engine turned surfaces lent a surface a silky sheen and avoided the problem of unsightly finger marks. The technique caught on very quickly and became one of the most frequently used decorative devices in the watchmaking industry. The use of engine turning continues until the present day and many modern watch manufacturers use a variety of guillochage patterns in the manufacture of their watch dials in particular.