Lot 164

Robin, 41 mm, 43 g, circa 1780
An extremely rare gold enamel calendar watch
Case: 18Kt gold/Champlevé enamel, glazed back side. Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, steel levers, star-shaped rack-wheels.
The indications on the dial that is in parts decorated with polychrome enameling are arranged in concentric order: day, date, months and seasons. In the centre is a round aperture for the phases of the moon with engraved silver moon and window with digital moon age.
Robert Robin (1742-1799)
Robin was a clever and imaginative watchmaker - he was also very ambitious and collected many titles and offices during his lifetime. His inventions and designs made him one of a small group of important makers who greatly influenced horological technology at the end of the 18th century and and who made vast improvements to timekeeping instruments. Robin’s career took off when the Académie des Sciences approved two of his inventions in 1778; during the same period of time he also improved his exquisite mantel clocks by fitting them with astronomical indicators and compensated pendulum. Robin used the same designs for all of his clocks and their cases were always elegant and had an unusually modern appeal. All his pieces were in great demand by the court and the king’s household and Robin delivered a great number of clocks to the court. The inventory lists for 1788 show that the king and his household owned seven of Robin’s clocks - in 1793 the queen alone owned 23 while Monsieur, the brother of King Louis XVI, had about ten in his possession. Favoured by the Royal family, Robin’s clocks were highly sought-after by the members of the Parisian high society and he counted the most renowned customers among his clientele. Robin clocks were bought for example by Marshals Duc de Duras and Duc de Richelieu, who were the king’s personal valets, and by the Marquis de Sérent, who was tutor to the Ducs d'Angoulême and de Berry.
Source: "Les Ouvriers du Temps", by Jean- Dominique Augarde, Antiquorum Editions, 1996.

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