HENRI MOTEL | A FINE SILVER OPEN-FACED POCKET CHRONOMETER WITH HELICAL BALANCE SPRING AND APERTURE FOR UP-AND-DOWN INDICATIONCIRCA 1830, NO. 148

• Movement: gilt-brass full plate, spring detent escapement, unusual cruciform balance, the brass rim with timing weights, blued steel helical spring, diamond endstone, fusee and chain, cylindrical pillars• Dial: silvered, Roman numerals, aperture below 12 o'clock for up-and-down indication, outer minute track, blued steel moon hands, signed and numbered Hri. Motel hger de la Marine Rle, No.148 • Case: plain silver, dome hinged silver cuvette signed and numbered Hri. Motel hger de la Marine Rle, No.148, case maker's mark LJ for Louis Joly and numbered 1116 (possibly 9111)

Aachener Auktionshaus Dr. Crott & Schmelzer, 25 April 1981, lot 199

Movement: will just run for short periods and will need a clean and overhaul. Dial: this is in generally good condition with some light spotting towards the edges. Case: tarnished throughout. Cuvette polished and signature somewhat rubbed.
"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."

Motel's 'Montre Marine Portative' no.148 is recorded in the servicing records of the French Depot de la Marine as having been cleaned on 10 May 1833 and returned to the Depot (see: J-C. Sabrier, La Longitude en Mer à l'heure de Louis Berthoud et Henri Motel, Antiquorum Geneva 1993, p.644).  Henri Motel (1786-1859) was born in France at Margny-lès-Compiègne and at the age of 20 undertook an apprenticeship with Louis Berthoud. Having completed his studies in 1813, Motel left his master but upon the death of Berthoud, just a few weeks later, Berthoud's widow persuaded Motel to return and continue the business and finish training their sons Jean Louis Simon Henry Berthoud and Charles Auguste. Motel remained with the Berthouds for a further 4 years before handing over the business to the Berthoud brothers in 1817. Following Abraham-Louis Breguet's death in 1823, Motel succeeded to the title of Horloger de la Marine and became a major supplier of marine chronometers to the French navy. Jonathan Betts has noted in his book "Marine Chronometers at Greenwich", that the majority of Motel's chronometers were sold to the navy and "few found their way into the hands of the merchant marine or private customers until years later" (see op. cit. p.288). Motel was awarded a gold medal for his chronometers and regulators at the 1839 French Industrial Exhibition and was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. Motel died at the age of 73 and was succeeded by one of his pupils, Onesime Dumas. Marine chronometers represented the greater part of Motel's production with pocket chronometers, such as the present lot, being produced in much smaller numbers. For further information on Motel, see: J. Betts, Marine Chronometers at Greenwich, OUP, pp.287-288.