Lot Essay
BIOGRAPHY
Pierre Louis Berthoud, 1754-1813, was the nephew and pupil of the great Ferdinand Berthoud through whom he later became clockmaker to the Observatoire and the Bureau de Longitudes.
Berthoud, like a number of other watchmakers of the period, had been experimenting with the lever escapement ever since Emery's watch was brought over to France circa 1782. However Berthoud's advancement was hampered by his inability to make them with jewelled pallets and even when this had been overcome he still had considerable problems with their regulation. The present chronometer seems to have been the exception and right from the start he wrote in his workshop notebook in 1800 'I believe it will turn out to be the best of my watches'. Indeed four years later when it was back in his workshop for examination he wrote of the same watch 'I have often been astonished by its regularity'. The lack of accuracy achieved on his other lever chronometers led Berthoud to have them fitted with pivoted detents (vide Berthoud No. 48, Time Museum op. cit) leaving the present example to be his only known surviving one with his original lever escapement.
HISTORY
This chronometer was given by Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul, to Vice Admiral Decrès on 2 March 1802 in recognition of his gallant conduct in action when commanding the French ship-of-the-line Guillaume Tell. The following inscription on the bottom of the silver case records the occasion;
'Given by the First Consul to Vice Admiral Decrès to mark the glorious combat he undertook with the Guillaume Tell against superior English Forces - Decreed II Ventose IX : 2nd March 1802'.
The Guillaume Tell, 80 guns, under the command of Vice Admiral Denis Decrès was one of the only two French ships-of-the-line to survive the engagement with Nelson's fleet at the Battle of the Nile 1 August 1798 and against whom she proved a worthy opponent.
The warship afterwards made for Malta, then a French possession commanded by General Vaubois. By early 1800 the position of the French garrison was becoming untenable and, shortly before midnight Sunday 30 March 1800, the Guillaume Tell sailed from Valetta.
Also immediately she was intercepted and engaged by H.M. Ships Penelope 36 guns, Lion 64 guns and Foudroyant 80 guns. In the ensuing action over the next eight hours she fought gallantly against the much superior British force but at 8.20 a.m. the next morning Monday 31 March, dismasted and with most of her guns out of action she struck her colours and surrendered.
Honourably she survived the action and was taken as a prize: Decrès was released and he returned with honour and triumph to France.
Later the Guillaume Tell was recommissioned into the British Fleet and, in view of the location of her final distinguished action under the French flag, was aptly renamed H.M.S. Malta.
In 1804 the chronometer went back to Berthoud for cleaning and regulation. Soon afterwards Decrès wrote to Berthoud and ordered the watch to be handed over to Prince Jerôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. The reason for this is still unknown but in November 1807, No. 52 was returned to Decrès via Berthoud's worshops.
The bottom of the bowl is protected by a silver dust-cap, the inside of which carries the following inscription which continues the history of the chronometer. It reads;
'Given by the Duc Decrès, Minister of the Marine, to the Frigate Captain Ponée to commemorate his gallantry onboard the Frigate Néréide during the campaign of 1811 : March 1812'.
This later inscription records the action between the three French frigates, Renommée Commodore François Roquebert; Clorinde Captain Jacques Saint-Crieq; and Néréide Captain Jean-François Lemaresquier, and the three British frigates, H.M.S. Phoebe Captain James Hillyar R.N., H.M.S. Galatea Captain Woodley Losack R.N. and H.M.S. Racehorse Commander James de Rippe R.N.
The engagement took place in May 1811 off the Isle de France (Mauritius). The Néréide was heavily engaged by H.M.S. Phoebe but with very heavy casualties, including her commanding officer Captain Lemaresquier, she refused to strike her colours. Instead Lieutenant François Ponée, now in command, negotiated her honourable surrender to the British at Tamatave, Madagascar, on Sunday 26 May. The Néréide was subsequently recommissioned into the British Fleet and renamed H.M.S. Madagascar.
In 1800 Vice Admiral Decrès was promoted to Admiral and in October 1801 was appointed Minister of the Navy, a position which he held until his tragic death at the hand of his valet in 1820, aged fifty-eight.
(We would like acknowledge the assistance of Michael Naxton and Jean-Pierre Deville in providing some of this historical data).
Pierre Louis Berthoud, 1754-1813, was the nephew and pupil of the great Ferdinand Berthoud through whom he later became clockmaker to the Observatoire and the Bureau de Longitudes.
Berthoud, like a number of other watchmakers of the period, had been experimenting with the lever escapement ever since Emery's watch was brought over to France circa 1782. However Berthoud's advancement was hampered by his inability to make them with jewelled pallets and even when this had been overcome he still had considerable problems with their regulation. The present chronometer seems to have been the exception and right from the start he wrote in his workshop notebook in 1800 'I believe it will turn out to be the best of my watches'. Indeed four years later when it was back in his workshop for examination he wrote of the same watch 'I have often been astonished by its regularity'. The lack of accuracy achieved on his other lever chronometers led Berthoud to have them fitted with pivoted detents (vide Berthoud No. 48, Time Museum op. cit) leaving the present example to be his only known surviving one with his original lever escapement.
HISTORY
This chronometer was given by Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul, to Vice Admiral Decrès on 2 March 1802 in recognition of his gallant conduct in action when commanding the French ship-of-the-line Guillaume Tell. The following inscription on the bottom of the silver case records the occasion;
'Given by the First Consul to Vice Admiral Decrès to mark the glorious combat he undertook with the Guillaume Tell against superior English Forces - Decreed II Ventose IX : 2nd March 1802'.
The Guillaume Tell, 80 guns, under the command of Vice Admiral Denis Decrès was one of the only two French ships-of-the-line to survive the engagement with Nelson's fleet at the Battle of the Nile 1 August 1798 and against whom she proved a worthy opponent.
The warship afterwards made for Malta, then a French possession commanded by General Vaubois. By early 1800 the position of the French garrison was becoming untenable and, shortly before midnight Sunday 30 March 1800, the Guillaume Tell sailed from Valetta.
Also immediately she was intercepted and engaged by H.M. Ships Penelope 36 guns, Lion 64 guns and Foudroyant 80 guns. In the ensuing action over the next eight hours she fought gallantly against the much superior British force but at 8.20 a.m. the next morning Monday 31 March, dismasted and with most of her guns out of action she struck her colours and surrendered.
Honourably she survived the action and was taken as a prize: Decrès was released and he returned with honour and triumph to France.
Later the Guillaume Tell was recommissioned into the British Fleet and, in view of the location of her final distinguished action under the French flag, was aptly renamed H.M.S. Malta.
In 1804 the chronometer went back to Berthoud for cleaning and regulation. Soon afterwards Decrès wrote to Berthoud and ordered the watch to be handed over to Prince Jerôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. The reason for this is still unknown but in November 1807, No. 52 was returned to Decrès via Berthoud's worshops.
The bottom of the bowl is protected by a silver dust-cap, the inside of which carries the following inscription which continues the history of the chronometer. It reads;
'Given by the Duc Decrès, Minister of the Marine, to the Frigate Captain Ponée to commemorate his gallantry onboard the Frigate Néréide during the campaign of 1811 : March 1812'.
This later inscription records the action between the three French frigates, Renommée Commodore François Roquebert; Clorinde Captain Jacques Saint-Crieq; and Néréide Captain Jean-François Lemaresquier, and the three British frigates, H.M.S. Phoebe Captain James Hillyar R.N., H.M.S. Galatea Captain Woodley Losack R.N. and H.M.S. Racehorse Commander James de Rippe R.N.
The engagement took place in May 1811 off the Isle de France (Mauritius). The Néréide was heavily engaged by H.M.S. Phoebe but with very heavy casualties, including her commanding officer Captain Lemaresquier, she refused to strike her colours. Instead Lieutenant François Ponée, now in command, negotiated her honourable surrender to the British at Tamatave, Madagascar, on Sunday 26 May. The Néréide was subsequently recommissioned into the British Fleet and renamed H.M.S. Madagascar.
In 1800 Vice Admiral Decrès was promoted to Admiral and in October 1801 was appointed Minister of the Navy, a position which he held until his tragic death at the hand of his valet in 1820, aged fifty-eight.
(We would like acknowledge the assistance of Michael Naxton and Jean-Pierre Deville in providing some of this historical data).