Description: Gilt brass, front wound, Hessen-verge movement (dial plate 47.3mm, 11.4 depth including center arbor), very small, two-footed cock with steel cockerel. This movement represents the earliest version of the adaptation of Lépine’s new principles to verge movements by André Hessen. The barrel and the fusee showing through the ‘back plate’ and are held by a crescent shaped plate. The wheel train is completely enclosed. The movement is signed ‘Vaucher à Paris’. Enameled copper dial with the signature: ‘L’Epine à Paris’.
Additional Info:
Daniel – François Vaucher was clockmaker in Paris, he did not manufacture watches. Many watches with his signature are known, but these are all pre-made retail pieces, bought in and, if at all, finished in the Vaucher wokshop.
The fact that Vaucher was retailer of watches made by Lépine explains the presence of Lépine’s signature on the dial, as for contract reasons the finishing of the movement might have been done in the Lépine workshop instead of being made in Hessen’s workshop, even if the ébauche would have been sourced through Hessen.
Please note that also Vaucher’s retail shop was situated within a few 100m of the workshops of Hessen, Lépine and Breguet.
As mentioned before, also Breguet used this earliest verge version of the Hessen-movement. The use of such a movement is compatible with the experimental mind of Breguet, always searching for new systems to adopt, modify and improve upon.
An early movement and a watch from Abraham – Louis Breguet’s workshop (No. 242, 2nd series) survived, which have the exact same construction as the movement above. Latter has an enamelled copper dial (restored) and the production number dates it towards 1792/3, but the movement was built around 1775. Breguet must have bought it (pre-made) directly from Hessen and retailed it under his own name. Another possibility is, that this movement came into the workshop from the the stock of Xavier Gide, partner of Breguet until 1791.
The ledger from the Breguet workshop states that this watch had been lost the 23rd of October 1810. Obviously it reappeared and was sold at auction at Chayette the 24th of November 1980, lot 131.
Daniel – François Vaucher, from an important watchmaker dynasty in Fleurier (Switzerland) moved later to Paris in 1760 and changed his name to ‘Vauchez’. He was a known retailer of some of Lépine’s best watches, working at the ‘Rue St. Pierre-aux Boeufs’ from 1769 to 1790. Vaucher was a good friend of Ferdinand Berthoud and was also implied in the affair of ‘the neckless of the Queen’.
He signed his watches with ‘Vaucher à Paris’, ‘Vauchez à Paris’ or later ‘Vauchez en la Cité’ for his best pieces.
Antiquarian Horology 
