Exceptional Horological Works of Art

Geneva, Oct 19, 2002

LOT 53

The Lyre Brosse à Bordeaux (France), circa 1840. Extremely rare, highly unusual and very fine 9-day going brass and marble table regulator with unusual constant force escapement à coup perdu, friction roller bearings, power reserve indication, overhanging pendulum and thermometer.

CHF 70,000 - 90,000

EUR 47,000 - 67,000

C. Lyre-shaped on rectangular pedestal with molded base, whole on white marble with gilt bronze ring for the glass dome, front with winding aperture with rhomboidal gilt plaque, gilt bronze rectangular feet, winding from the base so as to avoid having to remove the glass dome. D. Silvered and matted, champlevé radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds below 12 o?clock, winding sector at 6 o?clock. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Brass, H-shaped, going barrel, housed in the pedestal, steel rod with transmitting power to the visible escapement set at the top via gimbaled connection, unidirectional unusual impulse by a lever fitted with adjustable weight for the strength of the impulse with one pivot set on friction roller, mechanism with a large gold fly with the arbors set on a friction roller at one side for uplifting the impulse lever, overhanging pendulum in ruby jewels, with micrometric length adjustment, micrometric spring-loaded beat adjustment of unusual construction, gridiron pendulum with three steel arms and two brass ones, thermometer with adjustable spring-loaded knob. Signed on the dial. Dim. Height 74 cm, base width 28 cm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

Brosse?s ingenuity in applying horological principles to the complicated mechanisms was noted by the Jury at the Exposition des Produits de l?Industrie Française, in 1844. He presented several clocks at the Exhibition, including one with constant force escapement. The jury noted that the art of precision horology was not restricted to Paris, but also existed elsewhere. The commission congratulated him on account of his "courageous and important solutions" and awarded him a Silver Medal. The present clock appeared for the first time in Lyon in November 1993, where it was sold at an auction at the Hôtel des ventes and was illustrated on the front cover of the auction catalogue. The clock immediately stirred a great deal of interest. It was featured in the ANCAHA Bulletin of autumn/winter 1993, No. 68, on pp. 9-11 and in the "Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française", p. 485. The construction is most unusual, both by its design and from the mechanical point of view. Besides being very esthetically appealing, it features ingenious solutions not found any-where else. The feature of winding from the base to avoid having to remove the glass dome demonstrates this clockmaker?s search for perfection. For a biography of Brosse, previous lot.