Lot 55

Claude Viet, London, 57 mm, 198 g, circa 1695
A heavy, one-handed pair-cased verge pocket watch with date indicator and alarm of extraordinary quality
Case: outer case - brass/silver/tortoiseshell. Inner case - silver, rear bell. Dial: silver. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, chain/fusee, 1 hammer, three-arm steel balance.
Watches with alarm function and calendar dating from the end of the 17th century are very rare. The condition and the finish of this example are remarkable: the tortoiseshell outer case has survived the centuries almost unharmed. The high quality engraving on the inner case and the dial are of a wonderful symmetry and aesthetic beauty. The plates of the movement are connected by finely finished tulip pillars that allow an unobstructed view of the sophisticated movement.
Huguenot watchmaker Claude Viet was a native of Orléans who eventually moved to London. The exact date of his move is not known – records start with his marriage in 1696. In 1698 Viet was free from the Watchmaker’s Company; he was also watchmaker to the queen’s court. Viet died in 1734.

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