Estienne Huber Pair-Cased Pocket Watch
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1660
This pocket watch, attributed to Estienne Huber of Rouen and dated circa 1660, is housed in a silver pair case. The outer case is covered in leather featuring piquet pinwork decoration, while the silver inner case displays engraving on the split bezel and band in a foliage pattern, with the back featuring a floral panel in low relief.
The movement is a gilt full-plate caliber with turned vase pillars and a fusee driven by gut. It utilizes a three-wheel train with a verge escapement and a plain two-arm steel balance without a spring. The watch includes an oval pierced and engraved cock secured by a screw, and a setup mechanism with blued-steel brackets and a silver indicator disc.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Date
- circa 1660
- Type
- Pair cased pocket watch
- Maker
- Estienne Huber
- Diameter
- 48 mm
- Escapement
- Verge
- Provenance
- Antiquarian Horological Society 10th Anniversary Exhibition, 1964
- Case Material
- Silver
- Movement Type
- Gilt full plate
- Place recorded
- France
- Maker / attribution
- Estienne Huber
Design
- Visible features
- • Engraved winding shutter on the case back • Turned vase pillars within the movement • Blued-steel setup brackets on the movement plate • Floral relief engraving on the silver case back
- Movement and Escapement
- The movement is a gilt full-plate caliber, 18''' in size, featuring turned vase-shaped pillars. The power source is a fusee driven by a gut line, which transmits energy through a three-wheel train to a verge escapement. The escapement incorporates a plain two-arm steel balance without a balance spring. Regulation is managed by a worm and wheel setup mechanism. This system is fitted with pierced blued-steel brackets and a silver indicator disc. The balance is protected by an oval-pattern balance cock, which is pierced and engraved with floral motifs and secured to the plate by a single screw.
- Maker History and Literature
- Estienne Huber was born in 1608 and was the son of a watchmaker. He attained his mastership in 1656 following the death of his father, with whom he had collaborated for years. He had three sons who followed in his profession, and he passed away in 1676. This watch is documented in horological literature, specifically in the works of Clutton & Daniels and Cammerer Cuss. It was also included in the Antiquarian Horological Society's 10th Anniversary Exhibition held at the Science Museum in 1964, where it was catalogued as exhibit number 63.
- Case Construction and Decoration
- The watch is enclosed in a pair case design. The inner silver case features a split bezel and band ornamented with engraved acanthus and leaf foliage. The case back is decorated with a low-relief panel of summer flowers set against a hatched ground. A functional winding shutter is integrated into the design, shaped as an engraved rose. The outer protective element is covered in leather and decorated with piquet pinwork.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The exact origin of the design for the case engraving is suggested based on a 1949 reproduction of anonymous designs
- Research required: The movement is noted to require an overhaul