PAIR-CASED COACH WATCH with CENTRAL SECONDS HAND Daniel and Thomas Grignion London Ca. 1755 England

M&R230

PAIR-CASED COACH WATCH with CENTRAL SECONDS HAND
Signed and numbered: Daniel and Thomas Grignion London 1350
Circa 1755
England

Movement
The spring-driven movement is constructed between circular plates and has a going train only, which consists of a spring barrel, chain fusee, centre wheel, crown wheel, escapewheel, verge, balance with hairspring and regulation. It is wound from the rear. The balance cock on the back plate is beautifully pierced and richly engraved with floral motifs and a mask. The movement is protected by a signed and numbered gilt brass dust cover. The silvered brass dial 5-30 is used for regulation. The makers have signed and numbered the movement on the backplate in the following manner: Dan & Thos Grignion LONDON.

Dial
The circular, white enamelled dial has a black chapter ring with Roman hour numerals, Arabic five-minute numerals and a minute ring. The time is indicated by two cut-out blued steel ‘poker & beetle’ hands. In addition, there is a beautiful, counterbalanced silver central seconds hand, which can be stopped with a slide on the side of the case. The special thing about this watch is that the seconds hand runs anticlockwise.

Case
The plain silver case is stamped with the mark of the case maker E. Renou. The dial is protected by a convex glass in a bezel, with a clasp at the bottom to open the case. When this case is opened, a button is visible with which the hinged movement can be turned out of the case. watch is wound at the back and is surmounted by a beautifully modelled silver suspension ring. The outer case is covered with black shark skin with an elegant letter “A” consisting of silver nails and the Dutch marquis crown. The outer box can be opened with a push button on the right side of the back.

Duration: 30 hours

Diameter: 11.5 cm.
Diameter of outer case: 13 cm.

Literature
– Stolberg, Lukas, Die Kutschenuhr, Munich, 1993, p. 167, no. 398, fig. 112.
– G.H. Baillie, Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World, p. 133.
-Brian Loomes, Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World, p. 230.

The makers
Daniel and Thomas Grignion were father and son. Daniel (1684 -1763) was originally French, they worked together in London in the period 1730-1750. Thomas was born in 1713 and died in 1784.

Daniel also worked for the clockmaker Daniel Quare. Work by the Grignion family is of exceptionally high quality. Several similar watches are in museums, for instance in the British Museum in London.