An Esquivillon & de Choudens small gold pair case verge escapement watch, gilt fullplate movement with fusee, engraved balance bridge cock. Verge escapement. The fullplate signed frf Esquivillon de Choudens, with serial number 29029. The face with white enamel dial, Roman numerals for the hours and a subsidiary Arabic ring for the minutes, with two-tone gilt and steel hands, the centre signed. The gold inner case marked 'I' with matching serial number. The outer case with glass gems arranged in foliate patterns, the reverse with a polychome enamel portrait of a lady. Diameter: 1.73 in. Provenance: The collection of Dr Trevor Hyde, Sydney. Other Notes: Les Freres Esquillion et de Choudens are listed in Paris between 1765 and 1830
- Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Verge Escapement - A verge escapement is an early mechanical escapement used in clocks and other timekeeping devices. It is an early form of the escapement mechanism, which is used to regulate the movement of the hands of a clock or watch. The verge escapement consists of a vertical shaft called the verge, which is mounted on the clock's main plate. Attached to the verge are two pallets, which engage with the teeth of the escape wheel. As the escape wheel turns, the pallets alternately lock and release it, allowing the movement of the clock to be regulated. The verge escapement was widely used in early mechanical clocks, but it was eventually replaced by the more accurate and reliable anchor escapement.
- Fusee - The fusee movement was used in clocks and pocket watches from the mid 17th century. The fusee is a cone shaped drum within the works that is linked to the barrel of the spring, usually by a length of chain.
As the mainspring loses its tension over time, the cone shaped barrel compensates for this by increasing the tension, by pulling the mainspring tighter, thus ensuring the time remains constant.
Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.
The fusee continued to be used in marine chronometers until the 1970s.
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