Danish pocket watch with extremely rare triple complication Circa 1865

Pocket watch with seconde morte, independent flashing and repeater
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An almost new pocket watch with an extremely rare triple complication comprising a seconde morte, an independent flashing of one-fifth second and a five minute repeater, made by Jules Jürgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark, circa 1865. The full hunter, engine turned, water drop (à goutte) case of absolute top quality is crafted from 18 Carat gold, is almost unused and has the Jules Jürgensen hallmark. The original white enamel dial has an extremely rare outer scale, one-fifth divisions for the seconde morte, the one-fifth flashing second “Foudroyante” (lightning) and filigree Breguet steel hands. The movement has an extremely rare precision lever escapement with two barrels and Bishop’s crook lever, a seconde morte, independent flashing one-fifth of a second, a five minute repeater and is one of the rarest works by Jules Jürgensen.
Dial, dust cover and movement signed and the latter two have matching numbers.
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Diameter: 54 mm
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Weight: 152 g
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Signed: Jules Jürgensen, Copenhagen
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Jules Frédéric Jürgensen
Jules Frédéric Jürgensen was born in 1808 and died in 1877. He was the son of Urban Jürgensen and a very eminent watchmaker himself. Jules was born in Le Locle, Switzerland but as a child moved to Denmark with his parents. In 1830, after his father’s death, the company was taken over by Jules and his brother Louis Urban. In 1833, Jules returned to Le Locle and built up a successful business. Jürgensen, who was watchmaker to the King of Denmark, was made a Knight of the Légion d’Honneur and Knight of the Royal Order of Dannebrog. Between 1870 and 1876 he was a member of the commission of surveillance of the Geneva School of Horology, along with Ekegren, Potter and others. He further was a member of many commissions in Switzerland judging horological contests. He stamped most of his watches on the pillar plate under the dial ‘Jules Jürgensen of Copenhagen’. After his death, the business was continued by his brother and in 1886 it was sold to an employee, H. Kiens, whose sons Jules (1837-1894) and Jacques Alfred (1842-1912) continued the business, as did the House of Heuer afterwards. Jürgensen invented his bow-setting mechanism in 1867. He wanted to prevent any accidental changing of the watch setting. In his design, the cover had to be opened to turn the bow far enough to engage the setting pin. In some of his watches, he did not want the back cover, which was not spring-loaded, to be opened by the owner. Therefore, for his watches with an open face, he used a special case in which the front was designed with a bezel utilizing a lifting mechanism like that in a hunting case. The setting could be done safely, by first opening the front by pushing on the stem, turning the bow until it touched the crystal and then setting the watch.
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Seconde foudroyante
A “seconde foudroyante” in pocket watchmaking refers to a complication that allows the second hand to make very small, rapid jumps around the dial, usually in increments of 1/5th or 1/6th of a second. This feature is often used in high end or luxury pocket watches to provide a more precise and visually appealing display of the seconds. The term “foudroyante” comes from the French word for “lightning,” emphasizing the rapid movement of the second hand.