Important Danish 18K carat rose gold precision watch Circa 1823

Rose gold chronometer by Urban Jürgensen
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An important, large and heavy Danish 18 carat rose gold open faced precision pocket watch with spring detent escapement, circa 1823. 4/5 Plate movement made from an ébauche by Houriet from the Garde-Temps series, key wind, chain and fusee with Harrisons maintaining power, a reconstructed bimetallic chronometer balance with four screws and two movable trapezoid weights, free-sprung blued helical balance spring. White enamel dial with Roman hours, an outer minute track with Arabic five-minute numerals, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock and black spade hands. A polished case. Dial signed, movement numbered, signed and with maker’s mark UJ and a crown under the dial, cuvette signed and numbered.
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Diameter: 62 mm
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Weight: 190 g
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Signed: Urban Jürgensen København
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Urban Jürgensen was the son of Jürgen Jürgensen (watchmaker to the Danish court). He was born on August 5th, 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 14th, 1830. After his death his sons Louis Urban and Jules continued the business.