Rare Danish pocket watch with cylinder escapement Circa 1852

Silver pocket watch by Urban Jürgensen & Sönner
–
A rare, heavy Danish gentleman’s pocket watch with cylinder escapement, circa 1852.
The tiered, polished, silver case has a reeded band and gold hinges. It has a signed enamel dial with Arabic numerals and blued Breguet hands. And the signed, keywind, frosted, gilt full plate movement, cylinder escapement with steel cylinder wheel and three-arm brass balance.
–
Diameter: 56 mm
–
Weight: 140 g
–
Signed: Urban Jürgensen & Sönner, Kiöbenhavn
–
Urban Jürgensen (1776-1830)
Urban Jürgensen was the son of Jürgen Jürgensen (watchmaker to the Danish court); he was born on August 5, 1776, in Kopenhagen. 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 on the design of marine chronometers.
–
From London he travelled back to Switzerland via Paris and married one of the daughters of Jacques-Frédéric Houriet; his first son Louis Urban was born in 1800. In 1801 Jürgensen returned to Kopenhagen and founded a company for the production of marine chronometers with Etienne Magnin. Magnin went to St. Petersburg shortly afterwards. On July 27th, 1808 Urban’s son Jules Frederik was born. 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, 1830. After his death, his sons Louis Urban and Jules continued the business.