91st Auction
2015/5/16
Lot 572
E. Delépine, St. Nicholas d'Aliermont, Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, Movement No. 1323, 170 x 185 x 170 mm, circa 1880
A small ship's chronometer with 49h power reserve indicator
Case: mahogany, brass inlays, screwed on handles, case key, brass gimbals and bowl, two-body with glass and slide. Dial: silvered, signed, numbered, radial Roman hours, large auxiliary seconds, blued Breguet hands. Movm.: brass movement, diameter 71 mm, numbered, conical movement pillars, chain/fusee, spring detent escapement according to Thomas Earnshaw, bimetallic chronometer balance with 2 weights, 2 adjusting nuts and 2 screws, freesprung blued helical balance spring, chatoned ruby endstones on balance and escape wheel.
Etienne Emile Delépine (1848-1905)
Delépine was born and lived in St. Nicholas d'Aliermont near Dieppe, France. He exhibited chronometers in Rouen 1895, and gained a Grand Prix in Paris, 1910. He entered the Trials for the French National Marine in 1886 and came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th. He was also a great watchmaker and at one time made 2000 movements a month. He had a fine character, and was good with his staff. He fixed his own working hours which were 10-13 hours per day with no holidays. Women worked at home. Population of St. Nicholas at that time was about 2,000 of which 700-800 were horological craftswomen and craftsmen, mainly sending their products to Paris and England. All chronometers sent to the Navy had a 2-year test. If they failed, no payment was made.
Source: Tony Mercer, "Chronometer Makers of the World", page 127
Messageries Maritimes
The Messageries Maritimes is an old French maritime company. It was originally created in 1851 as Messageries Nationales, later called Messageries Impériales, and in 1871, Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messageries_Maritimes, as of 10/06/2011
A small ship's chronometer with 49h power reserve indicator
Case: mahogany, brass inlays, screwed on handles, case key, brass gimbals and bowl, two-body with glass and slide. Dial: silvered, signed, numbered, radial Roman hours, large auxiliary seconds, blued Breguet hands. Movm.: brass movement, diameter 71 mm, numbered, conical movement pillars, chain/fusee, spring detent escapement according to Thomas Earnshaw, bimetallic chronometer balance with 2 weights, 2 adjusting nuts and 2 screws, freesprung blued helical balance spring, chatoned ruby endstones on balance and escape wheel.
Etienne Emile Delépine (1848-1905)
Delépine was born and lived in St. Nicholas d'Aliermont near Dieppe, France. He exhibited chronometers in Rouen 1895, and gained a Grand Prix in Paris, 1910. He entered the Trials for the French National Marine in 1886 and came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th. He was also a great watchmaker and at one time made 2000 movements a month. He had a fine character, and was good with his staff. He fixed his own working hours which were 10-13 hours per day with no holidays. Women worked at home. Population of St. Nicholas at that time was about 2,000 of which 700-800 were horological craftswomen and craftsmen, mainly sending their products to Paris and England. All chronometers sent to the Navy had a 2-year test. If they failed, no payment was made.
Source: Tony Mercer, "Chronometer Makers of the World", page 127
Messageries Maritimes
The Messageries Maritimes is an old French maritime company. It was originally created in 1851 as Messageries Nationales, later called Messageries Impériales, and in 1871, Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messageries_Maritimes, as of 10/06/2011
Sold
estimated
2.900—3.500 €
Price realized
4.800 €