Watch by Peter Garon, England, 1700–1725 — view 1 of 2 — View 1 of 2 · Image: © 2020 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 2 · Image: © 2020 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 Peter Garon, England, 1700–1725

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.

Maker / attribution: Peter Garon (Horloger)
Date: 1700–1725
Historical period: Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
Country of origin: England
Place: Londres, England
Object type: Watch
Materials / technique: gold, brass
Dimensions: height 7,2 cm; diameter 5 cm; diameter 4,5 cm; thickness 3,4 cm
Holding institution: Musée du Louvre, Paris
Accession / object no.: OA 8451
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 8451), this is a watch by Peter Garon, made in Londres, England, dated 1700–1725. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold, brass. Recorded dimensions: height 7,2 cm; diameter 5 cm; diameter 4,5 cm; thickness 3,4 cm. The record is illustrated with 2 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 orné d'une peinture d'Hercule et Omphale enlacés dans un parc. Contre-émail peint d'un paysage où s'élève un édifice en ruines, un promeneur au premier plan. Sur le pourtour, quatre médaillons décorés de paysages traversés par une rivière au bord de laquelle sont construits des bâtiments variés ; médaillons séparés par des fleurs roses sur fond bleu. Lunette du verre unie, charnière sous le pendant en forme de boule. Cadran à chiffres romains, centre émaillé d'une scène figurant L'Abondance personnifiée par une femme assise tenant une corne d'abondance remplie de fruits et fleurs, un putto lui offre des fleurs. Aiguille fleuronnée. Echappement à roue de rencontre, rosette de réglage numérotée. Coq à un pied repercé de rinceaux, les quatre piliers en forme de tulipes.

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) ; Philippe d'Orléans (1715-1723) (Occident->époque moderne = Ancien Régime->dynastie des Bourbons) · · Date de création/fabrication : 1700 - 1725

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 : laiton · 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 : Garon London N° 131

Provenance

collection Jules-René Olivier (1855-1933), horloger-collectionneur ; legs de sa sœur Marie-Julie Olivier, n° 131 ; 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 timeline More pocket watches from this period Earlier: 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.

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.

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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 Peter Garon, England, 1700–1725." Musée du Louvre, Paris, OA 8451. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/watch-by-peter-garon-england-17001725-72201d.