Romilly, Paris - An 18th century open faced pocket watch

circa 1765, white dial, black Roman numerals, paste set fretwork hands and winding aperture at 2H under a convex bullseye crystal, front loading gilt full plate key wind movement signed ROMILLY PARIS, pierced and engraved bridge cock with steel coqueret, verge escapement with three arm balance and chain fusée, silvered regulation and 4 pinned cylindrical pillars, case, 45mm diameter, hinged front bezel with multi coloured foliage and scrolls and inner ring of pastes, verso with similar bezel around a portrait miniature of an elegant young lady with a surround of blue enamel and two rings of pastes, metal apparently unmarked, tests as gold, 66g gross

Jean Romilly (1714 - 1796) was born to a family that had taken refuge in Geneva, following the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685, and subsequently returned to Paris. In addition to being a watchmaker (and discovering that it was possible to construct a watch that would run for a year without being wound), he was one of the founders, in 1777, of the Journal de Paris as well as the editor of the Encyclopédie by Diderot and d’Alembert, to which he contributed articles on the theoretical aspects of watchmaking.

Condition Report

Crystal - Complete but detached from the bezel. Some minor surface scratches visible under reflected light together with a small grizzle/chip to the edge at 6H

Dial - In fair condition. Some hairline cracks. Some deterioration to the edge, together with a more obvious chip at 10H and a chip to the winding aperture.

Movement - Runs for one or two seconds, then stops. Hands move but rather stiffly.

Case - Front hinge in good condition. Some stones missing around the front bezel. Verso in good condition with some surface scratches and stones missing around the portrait.