Early French Single Handed Verge

An early French ‘oignon’ verge, with single handed movement.

MOVEMENT : Gilt verge movement, with a very large and beautifully engraved and pierced balance bridge. Small, early style silver regulator disk and set up.
Signed BOISLANDON A NANCY
The movement is wound anticlockwise from the steel square in the centre of the dial.
The hand is driven from the 2nd wheel of the movement train (no central wheel as with a two handed watch).
Good condition and running well.
DIAL : Nice contoured black & white enamel dial, the inner chapter ring showing quarters (typical for a single handed watch). In reasonable condition, but with some restored damage at VIIII and IX, and a couple of light hairlines running from the edge at III towards VII and the centre.
Although the 3 dial feet are present, they are too short (presumably broken off) and the dial is screwed to the plate at 7. There are no additional holes in the dial plate so this is probably the original dial.
Nice steel hand, which could be original.
CASE : A silver case, plain except for a ring engraved on the back. Square hinge.
In very good condition. The stem and bow both appear to be original. The hinge is fine and the bezel closes nicely. The high dome crystal is fine.

There were 3 generations of watchmakers in the Boislandon family in Nancy from the middle of the 17th. to the early 18th. These were Hierosme (1640 to 1678), his son Jacques (from about 1682) and then grandson Claude in the early 18thc. This watch was probably made by Jacques Boislandon.

Ref.: Tardy, Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais.