Lot Essay
PROVENANCE:
No. 119 is mentioned in Jean-Claude Sabrier's Longitude at Sea as being "sold on 22 September 1819 to Prince Volkonski, Major General of the Russian Army".
Motel No. 119 is recorded at Royal Greenwich Observatory - Ledger of Receipts and Issues of Chronometers (page 9632). The only entry states "Sold to A. Anderson. See Hydr. letter 11. Oct 1921".
Henri Motel (1786-1859) was one of the foremost French marine chronometer makers. Beginning in 1806 he served a six year apprenticeship with Louis Berthoud. This he completed shortly before Berthoud's death and this resulted in his widow engaging Motel to run Berthoud's workshop which he continued to do until 1817, at which time he is known to have worked for Breguet. In 1823 after the death of Breguet, the then holder of the title Horloger de la Marine, the title was disposed upon Motel. In 1848 his nephew Onesime Dumas, later also to become a chronometer maker, joined Motel. Henri Motel died in 1859 and during his lifetime made over two hundred superior grade marine chronometers. His No. 119 is one such example; one of its features is that it is still gimbal mounted in its box: a number of his chronometers were, during their service, remounted in smaller boxes without gimbal mountings. It is to be noted that No. 119 is not fitted with Motel's four-arm balance and conical balance spring, but has a two-arm balance with helical spring.
No. 119 is mentioned in Jean-Claude Sabrier's Longitude at Sea as being "sold on 22 September 1819 to Prince Volkonski, Major General of the Russian Army".
Motel No. 119 is recorded at Royal Greenwich Observatory - Ledger of Receipts and Issues of Chronometers (page 9632). The only entry states "Sold to A. Anderson. See Hydr. letter 11. Oct 1921".
Henri Motel (1786-1859) was one of the foremost French marine chronometer makers. Beginning in 1806 he served a six year apprenticeship with Louis Berthoud. This he completed shortly before Berthoud's death and this resulted in his widow engaging Motel to run Berthoud's workshop which he continued to do until 1817, at which time he is known to have worked for Breguet. In 1823 after the death of Breguet, the then holder of the title Horloger de la Marine, the title was disposed upon Motel. In 1848 his nephew Onesime Dumas, later also to become a chronometer maker, joined Motel. Henri Motel died in 1859 and during his lifetime made over two hundred superior grade marine chronometers. His No. 119 is one such example; one of its features is that it is still gimbal mounted in its box: a number of his chronometers were, during their service, remounted in smaller boxes without gimbal mountings. It is to be noted that No. 119 is not fitted with Motel's four-arm balance and conical balance spring, but has a two-arm balance with helical spring.