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Watch by Jean-Pierre Huaud, England, 1675–1725 — view 1 of 1
View 1 of 1 · Image: © 1992 GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Daniel Arnaudet · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Pocket Watches · Watch

Watch by Jean-Pierre Huaud, England, 1675–1725

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
Jean-Pierre Huaud (Emailleur); Amy Huaud (Emailleur); John Good (Horloger)
Date
1675–1700 (case); 1700–1725 (movement and dial)
Country of origin
England
Place
Londres, England
Object type
Watch
Materials / technique
brass, gold
Dimensions
height 5,7 cm; diameter 4,1 cm; diameter 3,8 cm; thickness 2,2 cm
Holding institution
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Accession / object no.
OA 8436
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 (French)

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Record summary

Held and catalogued by Musée du Louvre, Paris (object number OA 8436), this is a watch by Jean-Pierre Huaud, made in Londres, England, dated 1675–1700 (case); 1700–1725 (movement and dial). The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: brass, gold. Recorded dimensions: height 5,7 cm; diameter 4,1 cm; diameter 3,8 cm; thickness 2,2 cm. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

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 orné d'une peinture figurant La Vierge et l'Enfant en compagnie de deux jeunes enfants dont l'un tient une pomme (ou La Charité ?). Contre-émail peint d'un paysage où se dresse une chapelle. Pourtour décoré de quatre médaillons séparés par des noeuds dorés sur fond bleu, contenant des paysages variés où s'élèvent des édifices au bord de l'eau. Lunette du verre gravée d'une frise de feuilles stylisées. Tête du pendant en forme de boule. Cadran à chiffres romains et un cercle formé d'arcades indique les minutes ; aiguilles repercées et ciselées. Carré de remontage entre le III et le IIII. Echappement à roue de rencontre, arrêt de la chaine ciselé et repercé de rinceaux. Coq à un pied orné de lambrequins, de feuilles d'acanthe et de têtes fantastiques.

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 XIV (1643-1715) (Occident->époque moderne = Ancien Régime->dynastie des Bourbons) · · Date de création/fabrication : 1675 - 1700 (boîtier) et 1700 - 1725 (mouvement et cadran)

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 : laiton · Matériau : or · Technique : techniques métal (orfèvrerie) · Technique : émaillé = émaillage = émail = émaux (techniques métal)

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 : John Good 600 / LONDON ; boîtier signé : Les deux freres / Huaut les / jeunes

Provenance

collection Jules-René Olivier (1855-1933), horloger-collectionneur ; legs de sa sœur Marie-Julie Olivier, n° 418 ; comité du 24 janvier 1935 ; conseil du 5 février 1935 ; décret du 4 août 1935 ; déposée au musée des Arts décoratifs le 4 novembre 1935 ; retour au musée du Louvre, arrêté du 5 février 1982.

Historical context

Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)

Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.

The balance spring (c. 1675) improved watches dramatically and introduced the minute hand. English pair-cased verge watches with pierced balance cocks and French oignons were typical; enamel painting at Blois and Geneva, and the repeating watch (1680s), made watches objects of great refinement.

Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Renaissance 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.

Read next:Verge escapementDetached lever escapementFuseeIdentification Centre

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