Important French hour striking coach watch with alarm Circa 1640

Gilt brass one-handed pre-balance verge by Jacques Duduict
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An important, early and rare French fire gilt brass one-handed pre-balance hour striking verge coach watch with alarm, circa 1640. Full plate movement, chain and fusee, verge escapement, lavishly florally engraved barrel for the striking train, additional barrel for alarm, two hammers, iron balance without balance spring. Fire-gilded brass, engraved dial, floral and foliage decoration, central rotating alarm with Arabic numerals, chapter ring with Roman hours for the indication of time, blued steel single. Pierced case band, decorated with finely hand-engraved flower tendrils, rear bell. Movement signed.
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Diameter: 80 mm
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Weight: 496 g
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Signed: Jacques Duduict à Blois
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The engraved floral ornamentation of the pierced case rim is exquisite and very typical for the Blois area in France in the early 17th century. During the 16th and 17th century the French royal court often resided in Blois, which made the city a hub of the arts attracting a great number of skilled craftsmen and artists. At the time, many excellent enamel painters and watch- and clockmakers lived in or near Blois.
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Watchmaker Jacques Duduict (1599-1645) was a native of Blois who specialized in the making of solar watches. In 1631 he published a printed paper titled ‘Le Nouveau Sciataire’ about the production of solar watches allowing the determination of the meridian and the height of the pole on the sea.