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CHAYETTE et CHEVAL

48 - Drum-shaped hanging clock with alarm; the case back is stamp…
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Estimate €4,000 - €6,000
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Description
Drum-shaped hanging clock with alarm; the case back is stamped ‘H G’ on either side of a pair of crossed spades; Southern Germany, possibly Nuremberg; third quarter of the 16th century. The dial was originally gilded and features three hour circles: on the outer circle, I to XII with stars for the half-hours; in a second circle, alternately engraved rectangles for the 15-minute marks; and within this, the hours 13 to 24 around a removable disc (replaced in the 17th century) for the alarm, engraved 1 to 12 around four engraved birds in the centre; the feeler pins around the edge for telling the time at night have been filed down; two iron hands (replaced). Original movement (probably made of steel and stack-freed) replaced in the mid-17th century by a verge movement signed ‘Paul Papon Aparis’ with baluster pillars, an openwork and engraved cock, a fusee with gut cord and an alarm. Above the spring-adjustment mechanism with ratchet wheel is a rectangular plate (reused, incidentally, as it is engraved halfway with the name ‘…enebier’) which bears a straight spring that operates between two vertical lugs mounted on the steel balance wheel. The spring’s play is adjusted by a rod sliding in a groove in the rectangular plate marked ‘A[vance] R[etard]’. The case is made of brass, originally gilded, with raised engraving and openwork. The cover features a design of eight compartments with stylised fronds arranged symmetrically around central acorns; the whole is arranged around a central rosette. The caseback features, in the centre, the figure of Urania taking a measurement with a compass on a globe bearing the monogram ‘HG’, surrounded by hunting scenes, which are repeated on the case. Diam. 6.3 cm; H. 3 cm. PROVENANCE Gros & Delettrez auction, 21 June 2004 A watch of the utmost interest. The case back is identical to that of a drum watch in the Musée de la Renaissance, Ecouen (inv. E.Cl. 18531, catalogue 20) from the same period, except for the initials ‘HG’ engraved on the globe. These have been interpreted as those of the clockmaker Hans Gruber (1530–97), but they may also belong to a goldsmith. The hunting scenes on the case and on the back are very similar to those on another watch in Ecouen (Inv. E. Cl. 14894, catalogue 22), as well as to the case of watch No. 47 in this sale. The reuse of this case during the period when experiments with balance springs were being conducted reflects a desire to honour the heritage of the past, whilst also providing us with tangible evidence of these attempts. Expert: Anthony TURNER
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About the sale THE MECHANISMS OF TIME: WATCHMAKING AND RELATED SCIENCES
Auction location
Auction time 10/09/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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