MATTHEUS HALLAŸCHER, AUGSBURG | AN EXTREMELY RARE GIMBAL MOUNTED PENDULUM WATCH MOVEMENT IN LATER SILVER AND SILVER-GILT SPHERICAL CASEMOVEMENT CIRCA 1680 CASE PROBABLY 19TH CENTURY

• Movement: gilded full plate, domed weighted backplate with pierced apertures to accommodate fusee and barrel, decoratively engraved border, verge escapement with short brass bob pendulum, unusually tapered pillars with decorative engraving, chain fusee, signed Mattheus Hallaÿcher, Augusta (Augsburg)• Dial: gilt-brass, Roman chapter ring with half hour divisions, centre decoratively engraved with stylised scrolling foliage• Case: later silver two-part with gilded interior, spherically shaped, the movement suspended within steel gimbals, bayonet-type closure, the exterior of the case fully engraved with stylised flower heads and geometric motifs

Bernard Franck Collection, Paris Collection of Dr. E. Gschwind, Basel

Antiquorum Geneva, 23 October 1999, lot 1

S. Guye & H. Michel, Mesure du Temps et de l'Espace, 1970, p.85, pl.6a

Movement: the winding square protrudes only slightly out of the backplate and it was not possible to wind at time of cataloguing. However, the movement appears to run and the pendulum swings freely. Backplate with numerals small scuffs and scratches, wear to the gilding. Dial: restored and re-gilded, the black wax infill has been restored. Case: decoration to case remains well defined throughout with light rubbing and scuffs.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

Made around two decades after Huygens successful application of a pendulum to a clock, this watch appears to be an intriguing attempt to replicate the principles of the pendulum within a portable timepiece. The case is gimballed and the backplate of the movement is weighted in order to try and ensure that the movement is kept level, however, any change in position of the watch will of course alter the motion of the pendulum and thereby the watch's timekeeping. The pendulum itself is extremely short and light and is therefore extremely fast beating. A similar watch signed by the Parisian maker Madelainy, formerly in the collection of the Time Museum and subsequently sold at Sotheby's New York, Masterpieces from the Time Museum Part II, 19 June 2002, lot 12 can now be found in the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum (see P. Friess, Patek Philippe Museum, vol. III, p.263). The Madelainy watch is also mentioned by Britten in Old Clocks and Watches and their Makers where the author notes that it was at one time in the Dunn-Gardner collection. Mattheus Hallaÿcher from Augsburg was born in c.1643/44, became a Master in 1672 and died in 1704 (see: J. Abeler, Meister der Uhrmacherkunst, 1977, p.251).