Watch by F. Vigne, England, 1740–1760 — view 1 of 3 — View 1 of 3 · Image: © 2014 Musée du Louvre / Département des Objets d'art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 3 · Image: © 2014 Musée du Louvre / Département des Objets d'art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Pocket Watches · Watch

Watch by F. Vigne, England, 1740–1760

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.

Maker / attribution: F. Vigne (Horloger)
Date: 1740–1760
Historical period: Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
Country of origin: England
Place: Londres, England
Object type: Watch
Materials / technique: gold, diamond, porcelain
Dimensions: height 17 cm; diameter 4,6 cm; thickness 2,8 cm; length 12,5 cm
Holding institution: Musée du Louvre, Paris
Accession / object no.: OA 8391
Credit line: Musée du Louvre, Département des Objets d'art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes
Catalogue title (original): Montre ronde assortie d'une châtelaine (French)

View the source record ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Held and catalogued by Musée du Louvre, Paris (object number OA 8391), this is a watch by F. Vigne, made in Londres, England, dated 1740–1760. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold, diamond, porcelain. Recorded dimensions: height 17 cm; diameter 4,6 cm; thickness 2,8 cm; length 12,5 cm. The record is illustrated with 3 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Catalogue description — Musée du Louvre (French)

Fond du boîtier en agate encadré de volutes rocaille en or gravé. Lunette du verre composée de quatre médaillons en agate séparés par des motifs rocaille en or gravé. Poussoir enrichi d'un brillant. Cadran à chiffres romains et arabes, carré de remontage entre le III et le IIII, aiguilles en acier bleui, verre manquant. Mouvement muni d'un échappement à roue de rencontre. Coq à un pied ajouré d'un décor symétrique composé d'oiseaux, encadré d'une plaque en forme de croissant repercée de rinceaux. Châtelaine formée de quatre plaques d'agate encadrées de motifs rocaille en or gravé, portant quatre breloques : un buste d'homme noir, un cachet en porcelaine représentant un berger tondant un mouton ("JE LE TONS POUR MA BERGERE") et portant une intaille figurant l'Amour et la devise : "SANS BRVIT", un cristal de roche gravé d'armoiries.

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Dating and period as catalogued (French)

Epoque / période : Louis XV (1715-1774) (Occident->époque moderne = Ancien Régime->dynastie des Bourbons) · · Date de création/fabrication : 1740 - 1760

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Materials and techniques as catalogued (French)

Matériau : or · Matériau : agate · Technique : émaillé = émaillage = émail = émaux (techniques métal) · Matériau : diamant · Matériau : porcelaine · Technique : techniques métal (orfèvrerie)

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Inscriptions & marks

Signature : ; mouvement signé : F VIGNE 1400 / LONDON

Provenance

collection Jules-René Olivier (1855-1933), horloger-collectionneur ; legs de sa sœur Marie-Julie Olivier, n° 732 ; comité du 24 janvier 1935 ; conseil du 5 février 1935 ; décret du 4 août 1935

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

From 1750 to 1850 the watch became a precision instrument. Mudge's lever escapement, the cylinder escapement, Lépine's thin bar calibre, Breguet's innovations (overcoil, tourbillon, perpétuelle) and the pocket chronometer of Arnold and Earnshaw all date from this period, while verge watches remained common in cheaper production.

Read the period in the timeline More pocket watches from this period Earlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Pocket watches

The pocket watch was the dominant personal timekeeper from the late seventeenth century until the First World War. Its development tracks the history of the escapement: verge watches with fusees until the late eighteenth century; Thomas Mudge's lever escapement (c. 1755) and the cylinder escapement popularised by George Graham and later by Swiss makers; and the Swiss and English lever watches of the nineteenth century. Lépine's bar-bridge calibre and keyless winding made watches thinner and easier to use.

Industrialisation transformed the trade: American factories such as Waltham (from 1850) and Elgin produced interchangeable parts by machine, and Swiss makers responded with their own mechanisation after the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition. By 1900 a reliable watch was affordable to millions; the finest makers continued to produce complications and precision watches.

What to look for

The escapement: verge (crown wheel), cylinder, duplex, English or Swiss lever.
Key winding (a square arbor in dial or back) or keyless crown winding.
Signatures and serial numbers on the movement, dial and inside case back.
Hallmarks, case maker's marks and gold or silver standards stamped in the case.
Dial material: enamel, silver, gold, later printed metal.

Dating clues

Verge watches dominate before c. 1800; cylinder watches c. 1770–1900; lever watches after c. 1820.
Keyless winding: increasingly common after c. 1860.
Manufacturer serial number lists exist for Waltham, Elgin, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe and others.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

No escapement or complication is named in the source record. See the encyclopedia for how such pieces work.

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksRecorded
ProvenanceRecorded
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: Musée du Louvre, Paris (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © GrandPalaisRmn / Musée du Louvre — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Watch by F. Vigne, England, 1740–1760." Musée du Louvre, Paris, OA 8391. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/watch-by-f-vigne-england-17401760-4189d9.