Robin. A rare silver and gold openface pocket chronometer with Robin lever escapement and cylindrical hairspring

SIGNED ROBERT ROBIN, HGER DU ROI, NO. 44, CIRCA 1786

Details

Robin. A rare silver and gold openface pocket chronometer with Robin lever escapement and cylindrical hairspring
Signed Robert Robin, Hger du Roi, No. 44, circa 1786
With gilt-finished full plate chain fusée movement, Robin lever escapement, bimetallic three arm balance, cylindrical blued steel spring with diamond endstone, balance wheel start/stop lever in the flange, the white enamel dial with Roman numerals, outer Arabic five minute division, subsidiary seconds, the silver case with ribbed band, gold bow and gold rims to bezel and reverse, the engine-turned reverse centred by a blank gold cartouche, together with a matching silver ratchet key, dial and movement signed, case stamped AG for Ami Gros and with Paris date letter for 1809-1819
57 mm. diam.

Literature

Longitude at Sea from the time of Louis Berthoud and Henri Motel by Jean-Claude Sabrier. La Révolution dans la Mesure du Temps, conducted by Catherine Cardinal, Musée International d'Horlogerie, La-Chaux-de-Fonds.

Lot Essay

This particular watch is illustrated in Longitude at sea in the time of Louis Berthoud and Henri Motel by Jean-Claude Sabrier, p. 53 and a drawing of a Robin lever escapement on p. 237.

Robert Robin (1742-1799) was enrolled as a master-watchmaker on 28 November 1767. Already as of 1763, he benefited from many advantages in practising his art as 'Privileged Merchant-Watchmaker of the King following the Court and Councils of His Majesty'. He was appointed watchmaker to the Duke of Chartres at the end of 1778 and obtained one of the four posts as ordinary watchmaker to the King in 1782.

Robert Robin was a famous watchmaker who wrote several memoirs on remontoirs, turret clocks and decimal watches. He made the first lever watches in France, following the example of a movement by Josiah Emery.

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