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Watch: M/P.87-1913

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Achard et Cie

Entities

Categories

Description

Verge quarter repeating watch with automata in gold case.

MOVEMENT: Full plate movement, curvette engraved 'Achard A GENEVE'. Balance bridge with pierced table and engraved edge, polished steel coquette. Brass balance. Silver regulation dial, 'AVANCE' and 'RETARD' engraved along scale at ends. Plain gold hand. On plate short engraved scale with 'V' and 'L' at ends for regulating runners. Three turn screws to secure curvette to frame. Slide end stop in fusee. Adjustable potance. Counter-potance, inside contrate wheel, with polished steel end piece and adjustment screw. Pillar plate with four turned pillars. Third and contrate double ended cock, barrel sink, sunk case screw (not used), plate large diameter to take two blued steel gongs, stamped '686' near edge. Under dial central sink for repeating work. On the outside edge, the casing pin has been filed off. Fusee and chain, set-up click on top plate. Verge escapement. Train planted radially. Runners with four pinions, depthing pinion. Runners planted clockwise.

REPEATING WORK: 1/4 work, hour snail and star wheel under pivoted all or nothing lever. Chain repeating rack, chain outside repeating arbour. Hour and 1/4 hammers nearly on opposite sides of the movement. Swiss/French mechanism.

DIAL: White and blue enamel and gold, on copper, counter enamel. Small central white dial, ladder minute ring, thick lines at 5 minutes, vertical Arabic chapters. Outside blue enamel with two gold wreaths. Border around dial and around edge. Applied four-coloured gold mounts, two bells at top, two figures with moving arms to strike bells. On the sides are verse with two doves, and flowers at the bottom.

HANDS: Gold Louis XV style.

CASE: Plain gold, bezel and body 'yellow', back and bow 'red'. Pendant stem stamped with eagle's head, facing to the right, using a figured anvil. Top oval and round section stamped at stem, using a figured anvil. Inside back scratched '202 sd/-/-' and '3659 z/s/-.' Curvette, gilt brass with plain frame, winding hole with anti-clockwise arrow around, engraved as above.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Frank Gray Smart

Place(s) associated

  • Geneva ⪼ Switzerland

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1913-06-05) by Smart, Frank Gray

Dating

18th Century
Production date: circa AD 1800

Components of the work

Dial composed of enamel ( on copper) copper
Case composed of gilt brass gold Diameter 56 mm Height 70.75 mm Thickness 22.5 mm
Movement, Hands composed of gold
Movement composed of silver steel brass (alloy)
Movement (top Plate) Diameter 41.25 mm
Movement (pillar Plate) Diameter 51.5 mm
Movement (pillar) Height 2.75 mm

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'Achard A GENEVE'
  • Location: Movement
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Maker's name
  • Text: '686'
  • Location: Movement
  • Method of creation: Stamped
  • Type: Number
  • Text: eagle's head, facing to the right, using a figured anvil
  • Location: Case
  • Method of creation: Stamped
  • Type: Mark
  • Text: '202 sd/-/-' and '3659 z/s/-.'
  • Location: Case
  • Method of creation: Scratched
  • Type: Number

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M/P.87-1913
Primary reference Number: 207254
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 8 December 2015 Updated: Wednesday 14 March 2018 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Watch" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/207254 Accessed: 2024-11-25 00:08:10

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/207254 |title=Watch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 00:08:10|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-207254

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