Danish 18 Carat pink gold watch with chronometer escapement Circa 1823

Urban Jürgensen chronometer No.23 with Houriet movement
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An important chronometer No.23 with Houriet movement, made by Urban Jürgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark, circa 1823. The plain open faced case of this watch was crafted from 18 Carat pink gold and the white enamel dial has Arabic five minute and Roman hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial at six o’clock with Arabic numerals and steel hands. The Houriet movement has an extremely rare spring detent chronometer escapement.
Dial, cuvette and movement are signed
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Diameter: 62,5 mm
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Weight: 191 g
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Signed: Urban Jürgensen,Dronningens Tvergade No277, Kjöbenhavn
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The watch has been known for a long time and was part of one of the most important Jürgensen collections. It is illustrated and described in John M. R. Knudsen “The Jürgensen Dynasty”, Copenhagen 2013, page 110. As also mentioned there, the movement is partially restored, but absolutely true to the original. The extremely rare movement was made from a raw movement by Houriet from the “Garde Temps” series, key winding, chain fusee with “Harrisons” constant force. It is signed “UJ” and “crown” under the dial. In 2016, another Jürgensen chronometer, Urban Jürgensen No. XI, the so called “Krusenstern Chronometer”, achieved a unique auction success worldwide, rising from a starting price of CHF 30.000 to an incredible CHF 747.750 in Geneva!
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The Jürgensen Dynasty
Urban Jürgensen was the son of Jürgen Jürgensen (watchmaker to the Danish court). He was born on August 5^th, 1776 in Copenhagen. He went to a business school which he left at the age of 15 to train with his father. At the same time, he took private math lessons and studied foreign languages with Professor Woolf, who later became minister of state. When he was 20, Urban’s father sent him to Switzerland to further his education. He spent 18 months in Neuchâtel and 6 months in Geneva. In 1797, Urban went to Le Locle to work for Jacques-Frédéric Houriet. From Le Locle, he travelled to Paris. Since he came highly recommended, Jürgensen was able to work in the workshops of Abraham Louis Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud. At the time he received an annual grant of 800 thalers from the Danish government. Jürgensen later went to work with John Arnold in London to perfect his knowledge of the design of marine chronometers. From London, he travelled back to Switzerland via Paris and married one of the daughters of Jacques-Frédéric Houriet.
In 1801, Jürgensen returned to Copenhagen and founded a company for the production of marine chronometers with Etienne Magnin. Magnin went to St. Petersburg shortly afterwards. In 1806, his eldest son Louis Urban was born and on 27 July 1808 his son Jules Frederik. Urban Jürgensen was the first watchmaker to become a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. King Frederick VI granted him a Royal Appointment to supply the court with watches and the Danish Admiralty with chronometers. Urban Jürgensen died on May 14^th, 1830.
After his death, his sons Louis Urban and Jules continued the business.