A CHASED GILT EARLY VERGE WATCH

Details

A CHASED GILT EARLY VERGE WATCH
JEAN VALLIER A LYON

The circular gilt movement with four-wheel train, fusee now cut for chain, mainspring set up now by means of tangent screw (lacking balance, staff and pinned cock), engraved dial with silver roman chapter ring enclosing scene of thatched cottages and cart, single blued steel baluster hand, secured by hinge to lobed case with glazed lid and loose ring pendant, cast and chased with panels of flowers and leaves on matted ground, second quarter 17th century with slightly later alterations -- 35mm diam.

Lot Essay

Jean Vallier (d. 1649), a prolific maker, is recorded working from
1596. His son, also Jean was apprenticed to him 1600-1605. Examples
of his work include numerous form watches, including a cruciform
watch of rock crystal in the collection of the Taft Museum, Cincinnati, and a superb astronomical watch in the British Museum. The present
example was probably altered to its present configuration during the
third quarter of the 17th century with the fitting of the chain
to the fusee. At that time, the mainspring was fitted with the
tangent screw setup replacing the ratchet and pawl.