Pocket watch: early deck watch with center seconds, court watchmaker

Ca. Ø60 mm, ca. 115 g, silver, signed verge movement, signed enamel dial, steel hands (minute hand missing), movement is fully wound and requires cleaning/servicing. André Hessen (Hesse) was born in Sweden in 1745 as Anders Bengtsson and worked in Paris from 1767, where he was recognised as an experienced watchmaker. Hessen, also known as Hesse, derived his name from the hamlet of Hesse near the village of Store Tuna, as this was a common name in France. He was trained in Falun, Sweden. In 1775, he became a master watchmaker and court watchmaker to ‘Monsieur’ (a title for the brother of the French king) Louis XVIII. He developed a calibre for flat pocket watches. In 1785, he published a treatise on watchmaking, ‘Mémoire sur l’Horlogerie, Contenant Une Nouvelle Construction de Montres Simples’.

Estimate:£679.54

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