SILVER STRIKING COACH WATCH Antoni Braun Wien Ca. 1740 Austria

M&R 234

SILVER STRIKING COACH WATCH
Signed: Antoni Braun Wien
Circa 1740
Austria

Movement
The gilt brass movement consists of going, striking and alarm trains. The going train has a chain fusee and verge escapement with balance and hairspring. The quarter hour striking train is controlled by a gilt brass countwheel and first indicates the quarter hours followed by the hours in full on a bell. The spring barrels of the three trains are beautifully engraved. In addition, the striking has repetition, which allows the quarters and hours to be repeated by pressing a button. The watch is wound at the back. The pierced and gilded balance cock on the back plate is elegantly engraved in scroll and leaf motifs and a face. The silver regulation dial has Arabic numerals. The back plate bears the signature Antoni Braun Wien. The engraved silver pillars between the plates and the other rich engravings are exceptionally beautiful.

Dial
The silver champlevé dial has Roman hour numerals, Arabic numerals for the five-minute indications with minute divisions for the remaining minutes in a wavy ring (minute arches). There are lozenge-shaped half-hour markers between the hour numerals. The gilt brass alarm disc under the blue steel hands has Arabic hour numerals. A date aperture is visible above the VI.

Case
The movement is situated in a chased silver case. The case has pierced edges so that the striking is clearly audible. On the back of the case is a chased and engraved scene visible, depicting the return of a warrior. There is also an inscription in Hebrew in the clouds, in the background a battle scene on horseback, and on the edge four medallions depicting various equestrian scenes. The dial is protected by a convex glass in a silver bezel. The hinged movement can be turned out of the case by operating a catch near the VI. The bell is mounted in back of the silver case. The case is surmounted by a gimballed suspension ring.

The maker
Antoni Braun became a master watchmaker in the year 1741; he was active as a watchmaker from 1741 to 1779. A watch by his hand is in the collection of the British Museum in London.

Duration: 30 hours
Diameter: 8cm.

Literature
-J. Abeler, Meister der Uhrmacherkunst, p. 80
-F.H. van Weijdom Claterbos, Viennese Clockmakers and What They Left Us, p.146.