255 - Jean Rousseau - Oignon

Jean Rousseau - Oignon A very fine Orléans verge pocket watch "Oignon" Dimensions: 59 mm, circa 1700, Weight: 180 g, Origin: France Case: Brass, fire-gilt, leather-covered, stud decoration. Dial: Fire-gilt, chased and engraved, enamel cartouches with blue radial Roman numerals. Movement: Full-plate movement, chain/fusee, three-arm brass balance. This fine French Oignon watch is powered by a gilded movement featuring Egyptian columns. The chain/fusee and gear train are positioned between the plates, and the three-arm brass balance with spring is protected by a balance bridge lavishly ornamented with foliage. The gilded dial features exquisite blued hands that point to the blue enameled hour cartouches. The fire-gilded brass case has a five-part hinge and is entirely covered with dark leather and extensively decorated with a stud pattern, which even adorns the bezel. In H. L. Tardy’s *Dictionnaire des horlogers français*, Paris 1972, p. 574, mentions Jean Rousseau as a watchmaker in Orléans (1695–1736), and some of his watches are illustrated there. They can be found in various museums, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London or the Musée d’Orléans. “Oignons” were most popular in France during the last 30 years of the Sun King’s reign; only a few were produced after that time. Single-handed oignons are always wound through the hand’s pivot, where a central steel wheel beneath the dial transmits power to another wheel on the worm gear shaft. Presumably, there were workshops in France that produced ébauches for oignons; however, to date, no such ébauche has ever been discovered. Oignons have a large gap between the plates, which means that the parts of the movement are clearly visible; the viewer can easily see the individual parts and how they work, much like in a large-scale model—this was part of the great appeal these watches held. The oignon is a robust and practical pocket watch that—unlike the pocket and pendant watches of the time—displays the time with adequate accuracy. Case: very good, slightly scuffed, chipped. Dial: very good, fine hairline scratches. Movement: very good, in working order, cleaning recommended.