90th Auction

2014/11/15

Lot 176

Julien Le Roy / Pierre Le Roy à Paris, Movement No. 4841, 42 mm, 72 g, circa 1775
A very fine, rare diamond-set gold enamel quarter repeating "à toc" pocket watch
Case: gold enamel, the back lid engine-turned and translucent lilac enamelled, a centred emerald and diamond-set flower head, diamond-set bezels with translucent green enamelled leaf decor on sablé ground; diamond-set bow, pusher for repetition with large diamond. Dial: enamel, radial Roman hours, signed, gemstone-set Fleur-de-Lys hands. Movm.: full plate movement, keywind, firegilt, signed, 1 hammer, chain/fusee, solid round movement pillars, cylinder escapement, steel balance.
Julien Le Roy
He was one of the most outstanding clock- and watchmakers of his time and certainly played a decisive part in establishing the leading role French clockmaking had in the 18th century. He became a master in 1713, presented an equation clock to the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1717, and was appointed clockmaker to the king in 1739 (with his own rooms at the Louvre). Le Roy invented the adjustable bracket for the verge escapement wheel ("potence"), the repetition strike on springs instead of bells for pocket watches, and the "all-or-nothing" piece for repeating watches. His inventions and improvements were of such extreme importance that most watchmakers adopted them promptly for their own pieces. Later Le Roy was director of the Société des Arts; he and his son supplied the entries on watches and clocks in the encyclopaedia compiled by Diderot and d'Alembert.

Sold

estimated
9.00015.000 €
Price realized
12.300 €