French silver early single handed pocket watch Circa 1660

Pocket watch with alarm and self strike
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An early single handed pocket watch with alarm and self strike, made by Guillaume Nourrisson in Lyon, France, circa 1660. This watch features a silver pair case with both sides pierced, displaying exceptionally magnificent workmanship, richly decorated with birds, shells, rocailles and flowers, with several minor imperfections in the filigree work. The silver champlevé dial features a central rotating alarm disc with Arabic numerals from 1 to 12 o’clock, a primary chapter ring of Roman numeral hour indices and decorative fleur de lis iron hands. The movement is equipped with a very early verge escapement and a combination of an hour strike and alarm on a bell and three barrels.
The movement is signed.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 185 g
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Signed: Noury Lyon
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Nourrisson
Guillaume Nourrisson was originally born in Ambert, France. He moved to Lyon and established his workshop as a master clockmaker by 1645. The business operated under the full name of Guillaume Nourrisson (often shortened or phonetically engraved as Noury or Nourry à Lyon). It was a prominent, multi generational family enterprise that achieved major acclaim for its expertise in complex mechanical automatons and high end pocket watches.

The workshop’s active era ended with Guillaume Nourrisson’s son, Guillaume II, who died in 1711. During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, horology workshops were closely tied to strict family lineages and regional master craftsman guilds. Because the business was never corporate or sold to outside entities, the name disappeared from trade records once the immediate family line stopped producing master watchmakers.

Today, the family name exists strictly in a historical context. Surviving 17^th century pieces bearing the “Noury à Lyon” or “Nourrisson” signatures can only be found in specialised horology books, high end antique auctions, or national collections such as those preserved at the British Museum.