Lot 94

A collection of 5 books by Ferdinand Berthoud
The most important works by Ferdinand Berthoud in magnificent leather editions from 1773 to 1792
- Traité des horloges marines, Paris, 1773
- Essai sur l'horlogerie, seconde édition, Vol. I und II, 1786
- De la mesure du temps, Paris, 1787
- Traité des montres à longitudes, Paris, 1792
The original editions of Berthoud’s most important book "Essai sur l'horlogerie" are of course very hard to find and can only be acquired at extremely high cost. However, other works by this outstanding maker – which all feature his matchless illustrations - are similarly sought after. It makes this lot of five leather-bound volumes a true treasure that will please any lover of fine timepieces and connoisseur of horological history.
Even as a young man Ferdinand Berthoud’s skills were so outstanding that they drew the attention of Julien Le Roy; the two men worked together for a long time. Around 1745 Berthoud opened a workshop in the Rue Harlay and from 1756 on specialised on precision watches; in 1771 he invented the pivoted detent escapement chronometer escapement. It is likely that Abraham Louis Breguet also worked for Berthoud. Berthoud was purveryor to the court of King Louis XV as well as that of his grandson and successor Louis XVI.
In 1763 and 1766 Berthoud was sent to London to discover the workings of Harrison’s H4. He achieved fame for producing the French marine chronometer; in 1770 he was awarded the position of "Horloger mécanicien du Roi et de la Marine" (watchmaker to the king and the navy) He later became a member of the "Institut de France" and the "Royal Society". On July 17, 1804 Ferdinand Berthoud was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour; he died without issue after a short illness on June 20, 1897 in Groslay near Paris. He has a primary school in Paris named after him as well as streets in Couvet, Argenteuil, Groslay and Besançon.