Swiss. An unusual 18K gold and enamel keywound watch with standard date and French Republican Calendar indications

UNSIGNED, CIRCA 1800

細節

Swiss. An unusual 18K gold and enamel keywound watch with standard date and French Republican Calendar indications
Unsigned, circa 1800
With full plate gilt-finished cylinder movement, chain fusée, engraved and pierced balance cock, the white enamel dial decorated with a painted polychrome enamel scene depicting two playing children and a dog, eccentric hour dial with Breguet numerals, two small subsidiary dials indicating the standard date and the French Republican date, in plain circular case, unsigned
58 mm. diam.

拍品專文

Accompanied by a short length of gold chain and key.

The present watch indicates both the standard date as well as the French Republican Calendar.

French Revolutionary Time and French Republican Calendar were introduced during the French Revolution in the decree of 5 October 1793. Although clocks and watches were produced indicating standard time with numbers 1-24 and decimal time with numbers 1-10, decimal time never caught on. It was not officially used until the beginning of the Republican year III, 22 September 1794, and was officially suspended on 7 April 1795. The French Republican Calendar, which divided the month into three décades of 10 days each, eventually also fell out of use, and was abolished at the end of 1805.