Modern fusee?

[yahganlang]

I've seen many many hundreds of fusee watches go by on the Bay- I can't recall one that wasn't keywind.

Was there some particular mechanical reason why there don't seem to be stemwind fusees? Thanks again.

Jess Tauber (Yahganlang)

 

[Burkhard Rasch]

most fusees I´ve seen were english.The watchmakers there used to be verry conservative,not only in using fusees and chains allmost till the end of the 1800rds but allso keeping on the key winding habit even after the fusee was outmoded and the going barrel was used instead.There are indeed verry few verry high quality stem/crown wind fusees,all I´ve seen had freesprung ballances,carrussels or other features of precision timekeeping,they were from ca.1870-1900 and often employed a stem wind mechanism called "rocking barr".(Sorry I don´t own one to show,whish I had!)HTH
Burkhard

 

[Mikrolisk]

Yes, indeed there are some stem wind fusee watches. But the mechanism is more complicated, because the winding mechanism must be detached from the fusee, when the watch runs, else any force on the crown (e.g. from the pocket cloth) could disturb the watch accuracy.

Regards,
Andreas

 

[rmw]

Didn't Lange produce a conventionally wound wristwatch a few years ago with a fusee? (The chains were new old stock I believe and were incredibly fine).

 

[AbslomRob]

I think there are a couple of high-end modern watches that use a fusee-like arrangement to help with isochronism.

 

[Roland Ranfft]

Hi there,

I guess there are not many stem wind fusee movements. Until now only two
found their way into my archive:
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Denis_Brothers_19.5H8.4
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Barraud_Lunds_14H6.3
And both were very early stem wind movements, still equipped with a winding
square on the fusee arbor.

Regards, Roland Ranfft

 

[Jerry Treiman]

Here is another example, from my "to be restored" bin (yes, I have the hairspring -- needs a staff and a few other minor parts). This one is free sprung and has a wind indicator. [Oh ... no case either].

 

[DaveyG]

One of the few, succesful, early, attempts to produce a fusee that was not key wound was patented by Adam Burdess of Coventry, England (patent No 2286 of 1869). This was produced over quite a long period and had the hands set by a thumb wheel beneath the bezel and the winding via a ratchet system that protruded from the bell in the case back.

See the pics from the one in my collection, which is also in my to do box, although it works fine. Please ignore the date on the tag, my misinterpretation of the hallmarks. It is in fact Chester 1881

 

[MartyR]

One of the few, succesful, early, attempts to produce a fusee that was not key wound was patented by Adam Burdess of Coventry, England (patent No 2286 of 1869). This was produced over quite a long period ...

That's very interesting, because a dealer friend of mine has told me to watch out for the Burdess patent and that they are very difficult to find (and so relatively valuable).

If Burdess produced a large number of these, it seems not many have survived. I wonder if there might have been something about the patent winding system that didn't last too well?

 

[jwolf]

Here's a link to a great Henry Capt keyless fusee we sold last year. It was a great quality movement and design.

http://jewelry.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=5049&lotNo=60144&short=5049*60144

Jim Wolf
Heritage Auctions
www.ha.com

 

[yahganlang]

Funny you should mention Burdess- I may have just seen one at some auction site or other people sometimes mention in muffled conversation here. That obscure enough?

Jess Tauber (Yahganlang)

 

[MartyR]

Funny you should mention Burdess- I may have just seen one at some auction site or other people sometimes mention in muffled conversation here.

I don't know the site you're referring to, but remember that the Burdess must have his patent winding system - he made many beautiful watches without it, but my man tells me they're just not worth a lot. But just to make the thread a bit prettier, here's my Burdess which isn't worth much money

 

[Roland Ranfft]

Hi Jim,

Here's a link to a great Henry Capt keyless fusee we sold last year. It was a great quality movement and design.

Not actually suprising to find an early stem winding assembly in a Capt watch.
Adolphe Nicole invented the first industrally produced stem wind mechanism,
and Henry Capt was involved in the movement factory Nicole & Capt, later
Nicole, Nielsen & Co - kind of stone-age ETA.

Here an example, although without fusee:
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Nicole_20_REP

Regards, Roland Ranfft

 

[DaveyG]

That's very interesting, because a dealer friend of mine has told me to watch out for the Burdess patent and that they are very difficult to find (and so relatively valuable).

If Burdess produced a large number of these, it seems not many have survived. I wonder if there might have been something about the patent winding system that didn't last too well?

I think relatively valuable is right Marty.

I don't know if the numbers produced can ever be determined but his first appeared in 1869 and I have seen early models with solid balance and low jewel counts. Maybe they were produced to order? I guess that it must have been at least moderately successful if it was produced over at least a 12 year period.

As you quite rightly point out, there are some very nice watches around with his name on.

 

[kurtnz]

there is a Burdess lever wound fusee for sale right now for what I consider a modest price for this kind of watch by a well know online watch dealer.
See photo attached.

 

[yahganlang]

Looks like the one I might or might not have seen.
Interesting how the balance cock is cut away to make room for winding lever.

Jess Tauber (Yahganlang)

 

[DaveyG]

there is a Burdess lever wound fusee for sale right now for what I consider a modest price for this kind of watch by a well know online watch dealer.
See photo attached.

If that's a modest price then I got myself a REAL bargain and, certainly from where I sit, that 'on line dealer' is well known for all the wrong reasons!