Lot Essay
Ferdinand Berthoud, 1727-1807, is rightly accredited with the title of France's greatest 18th century clockmaker. Born in Placement, near Le Locle he was the son of an architect and judiciary and apprenticed to his brother Jean-Henri at the age of fourteen. In 1745 he borrowed 200 Livres to travel to Paris where an elder brother resided and where it is said he worked for some time in the workshop of Julien LeRoy. Like other brilliant academics he seems to have quickly established a fine reputation. Besides having a brilliant mechanical mind Ferdinand Berthoud also applied himself to astronomy, mathematics, and physics all of which he used to design and invent an amazing array of innovative marine timepieces. However in order to bring his inventions and ideas to everyone's attention Berthoud published an incredible four thousand pages of horological literature which included ten books written between 1759 (at the age of 32) and 1802, one of which, Traité des Montres à Longitude published in 1792 has the first 22 pages entirely devoted to the present chronometer No. 46 and is included in the lot
When it was made in 1790 M.M. (Montre Marine) No. 46 was the most versatile marine timepiece that Berthoud had designed to date. It was in fact made by his premier pupil Vincent Martin who held the title of clockmaker to the French Navy in Brest. Martin completed the chronometer to Berthoud's exact specification and so as to leave no one in any doubt Berthoud published these specifications in the Traité des Montres à Longitudes. In it he not only states that No. 46 was constructed by Vincent Martin but also gives the reasons why he was embarking on an enrirely different type of timepiece.
Furthermore Berthoud also mentions that another apprentice, Cayetano Sanchez, would also construct an identical model. Sanchez had been sent by the Spanish Governmant to study under Berthoud (who received 20,000 Francs for the pleasure) and later under the English horologist Josiah Emery so that he could return to Spain and teach other clockmakers the art of chronometer making. (See the following lot for further evidence of this arrangement).
Berthoud explains that M.M. No. 46 was designed to be used primarily to calculate the longitude at sea and for this purpose the chronometer was suspended from a gimballed stand. However Berthoud wanted the timepiece to have greater versatility so he also designed it small enough to be used as a pocket or deck watch which was facilitated by modifying its pendant gimbal stand from which it could be easily detached. Conversely it could be locked so as to then act as a desk timepiece. It was in fact a multi-purpose marine chronometer and the first of its type in France. Berthoud also set out to correct some of the other errors that his earlier timepieces were showing. To this end he made a much smaller and lighter balance wheel that beat a more efficient four alternations per second rather than the six beats used by previous chronometers. His other improvements were to the varied use of anti-friction rollers and also to the temperature compensation by employing a combination of steel and copper (which meant abandoning the grid-iron compensation altogether). In addition he used an all new but simple detatched pivoted detent escapement and then lastly a main-spring that could be adjusted by a fusee that also had maintaining power.
In order to put M.M. No.46 into context it is as well to note that although Harrison's H4 had been on sea trials in 1761 and Berthoud's M.M. No. 3 used on expeditions from 1763, marine chronometry whilst not in an infant state was still regarded as an experimental science. Ferdinand Berthoud patently regarded M.M. No. 46 as one of his most important works and devoted a great deal of time to explain its virtues and then chose it as one of the clocks included in the frontspiece of his most celebrated book Histoire de la Mesure de Temps (also included in this lot). A number of Berthoud's early chronometers have survived but the vast majority are in public institutions such as La Musée des Art et Métiers (Paris), La Musée International d'Horlogerie (La Chaux-de-Fonds) and the British Museum, leaving the few remaining private examples highly treasured possessions.
When it was made in 1790 M.M. (Montre Marine) No. 46 was the most versatile marine timepiece that Berthoud had designed to date. It was in fact made by his premier pupil Vincent Martin who held the title of clockmaker to the French Navy in Brest. Martin completed the chronometer to Berthoud's exact specification and so as to leave no one in any doubt Berthoud published these specifications in the Traité des Montres à Longitudes. In it he not only states that No. 46 was constructed by Vincent Martin but also gives the reasons why he was embarking on an enrirely different type of timepiece.
Furthermore Berthoud also mentions that another apprentice, Cayetano Sanchez, would also construct an identical model. Sanchez had been sent by the Spanish Governmant to study under Berthoud (who received 20,000 Francs for the pleasure) and later under the English horologist Josiah Emery so that he could return to Spain and teach other clockmakers the art of chronometer making. (See the following lot for further evidence of this arrangement).
Berthoud explains that M.M. No. 46 was designed to be used primarily to calculate the longitude at sea and for this purpose the chronometer was suspended from a gimballed stand. However Berthoud wanted the timepiece to have greater versatility so he also designed it small enough to be used as a pocket or deck watch which was facilitated by modifying its pendant gimbal stand from which it could be easily detached. Conversely it could be locked so as to then act as a desk timepiece. It was in fact a multi-purpose marine chronometer and the first of its type in France. Berthoud also set out to correct some of the other errors that his earlier timepieces were showing. To this end he made a much smaller and lighter balance wheel that beat a more efficient four alternations per second rather than the six beats used by previous chronometers. His other improvements were to the varied use of anti-friction rollers and also to the temperature compensation by employing a combination of steel and copper (which meant abandoning the grid-iron compensation altogether). In addition he used an all new but simple detatched pivoted detent escapement and then lastly a main-spring that could be adjusted by a fusee that also had maintaining power.
In order to put M.M. No.46 into context it is as well to note that although Harrison's H4 had been on sea trials in 1761 and Berthoud's M.M. No. 3 used on expeditions from 1763, marine chronometry whilst not in an infant state was still regarded as an experimental science. Ferdinand Berthoud patently regarded M.M. No. 46 as one of his most important works and devoted a great deal of time to explain its virtues and then chose it as one of the clocks included in the frontspiece of his most celebrated book Histoire de la Mesure de Temps (also included in this lot). A number of Berthoud's early chronometers have survived but the vast majority are in public institutions such as La Musée des Art et Métiers (Paris), La Musée International d'Horlogerie (La Chaux-de-Fonds) and the British Museum, leaving the few remaining private examples highly treasured possessions.