"Oignons " without fusee are extr emely rare. Jacques Gloria was the first to produce diem at Dieppe, then at Rouen at the end of the 17th century believing that with the increased precision given to watches by use of the balance-spring, he could do without the fusee. For a short period he was followed by several clockmakers at Rouen, Dieppe, Caen and Abbeville. Usually thay are straight-Forward watches without the least complication. So as to overcome the too great variations in force resulting from the unregulated spring as it ran clown, the Rouen clockmakers used only the central portion which supplied a relatively constant force for about 30 hours. This gave rise to the need for a small dial on the back plate to indicate the period left for the spring to run. The endless screw regulator, very similar to that invented in England by Nathaniel Barrow, is also typical of fusee-less `oignons' deriving from Rouen. For further informations please see " The Art of British Horology " , Antiquorum Thematic Auction, 21 October 1993, in Geneva, lot 10. A similar "oignon" by Gloria a Dieppe was sold by Antiquorunt in the Thematic Auction " L' Art de l ' Horlogerie en France " , 14 November 1993, lot 36.