Oliver Mundy
12-22-2005, 09:25 PM
During a recent visit to the Scottish National Museum in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, I came across an exhibit which should be of some interest here. It consists of a collection of unfinished watch movements made by the Swiss firm of Japy Frères, originally displayed at the Great Exhibition (London, 1851).
The movements consist only of the framework, regulator, barrel and fusee-cone (where applicable), with no escapements, balances or train-wheels. The remarkable thing is that about one-third of the movements (14, as I remember, out of 43) are laid out in English style, with single-footed cocks, and half of these are clearly intended to take verge escapements. Other verge movements are in French style (with the cock screws passing directly through the rim of the table), Dutch (two small rectangular feet) or Swedish (two larger fan-shaped feet). Many of the movements show stylistic features which one would usually associate with a much earlier date, such as bell-shaped or even fully circular cock-tables.
The only thing that distinguishes the English-style verges from real British products is that they have the Franco-Swiss type of mounting for the outer end of the verge-staff, with two small adjusting-screws. In this they resemble the common English-style movements bearing the name of Quartier of Le Locle, which have occasionally been discussed here; I suspect, therefore, that these 'Quartiers' actually originated in the Japy works.
Of the more modern-looking bridge-style movements, some show the fully developed 'five-finger' pattern, the bridges being already parallel-sided and without steps, while others are in an assortment of unusual layouts. Most of the items are gilt-brass, but one or two appeared to be early examples of the use of nickel.
Besides the particular points I have mentioned, it is not often that one sees how an ébauche looked before the finishers started on it. For anyone who may happen to be in Edinburgh, the exhibit is behind the main hall on the ground floor and along a corridor at the far left-hand corner, to the right of the entrance to the 'Soupson' café; on the other side of this entrance is a similar case containing small clock movements, also by Japy.
Oliver Mundy.
The movements consist only of the framework, regulator, barrel and fusee-cone (where applicable), with no escapements, balances or train-wheels. The remarkable thing is that about one-third of the movements (14, as I remember, out of 43) are laid out in English style, with single-footed cocks, and half of these are clearly intended to take verge escapements. Other verge movements are in French style (with the cock screws passing directly through the rim of the table), Dutch (two small rectangular feet) or Swedish (two larger fan-shaped feet). Many of the movements show stylistic features which one would usually associate with a much earlier date, such as bell-shaped or even fully circular cock-tables.
The only thing that distinguishes the English-style verges from real British products is that they have the Franco-Swiss type of mounting for the outer end of the verge-staff, with two small adjusting-screws. In this they resemble the common English-style movements bearing the name of Quartier of Le Locle, which have occasionally been discussed here; I suspect, therefore, that these 'Quartiers' actually originated in the Japy works.
Of the more modern-looking bridge-style movements, some show the fully developed 'five-finger' pattern, the bridges being already parallel-sided and without steps, while others are in an assortment of unusual layouts. Most of the items are gilt-brass, but one or two appeared to be early examples of the use of nickel.
Besides the particular points I have mentioned, it is not often that one sees how an ébauche looked before the finishers started on it. For anyone who may happen to be in Edinburgh, the exhibit is behind the main hall on the ground floor and along a corridor at the far left-hand corner, to the right of the entrance to the 'Soupson' café; on the other side of this entrance is a similar case containing small clock movements, also by Japy.
Oliver Mundy.