97th Auction

2018/5/12

Lot 438

Urban Jürgensen, Dronningens Tvergade No. 277, Kiobenhavn, Case No. 606, 59 mm, 187 g, circa 1824
A heavy quarter repeating pocket watch with double wheel duplex escapement and temperature compensated balance spring
Case: 18k gold. Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, 2 hammers / 2 gongs, steel/brass "Duplex" double wheel, gilt brass ring balance.
Similar watches are described and illustrated in great detail in "Urban Juergensen & Soenner" by John M.R. Knudsen, Copenhagen 2003, pages 190-191.
Urban Juergensen (1776-1830)
Urban Juergensen was the son of Juergen Juergensen (watchmaker to the Danish court); he was born on August 5, 1776 in Kopenhagen. He went to a business school which he left at the age of 15 to train with his father. At the same time he took private math lessons and studied foreign languages with Professor Woolf, who later became minister of state.
When he was 20, Urban’s father sent him to Switzerland to further his education; he spent 18 months in Neuchâtel and 6 months in Geneva. In 1797 Urban went to Le Locle to work for Jacques-Frédéric Houriet. From Le Locle he travelled to Paris.
Since he came highly recommended, Juergensen was able to work in the workshops of Abraham Louis Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud. At the time he received an annual grant of 800 thalers from the Danish government. Juergensen later went to work with John Arnold in London to perfect his knowledge on the design of marine chronometers. From London he travelled back to Switzerland via Paris and married one of the daughters of Jacques-Frédéric Houriet; his first son Louis Urban was born in 1800.
In 1801 Juergensen returned to Kopenhagen and founded a company for the production of marine chronometers with Etienne Magnin. Magnin went to St. Petersburg shortly afterwards.
On July 27th, 1808 Urban’s son Jules Frederik was born.
Urban Juergensen was the first watchmaker to become a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. King Frederick VI granted him a Royal Appointment to supply the court with watches and the Danish Admiralty with chronometers.
Urban Juergensen died on May 14, 1830. After his death his sons Louis Urban and Jules continued the business.
Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_J%C3%BCrgensen, as of 03/28/2013

Sold

estimated
2.5005.000 €
Price realized
4.000 €