[NEW] Timetales.ca - FRENCH HOROLOGY PAGE
Below are links to documents I have written related to French Antique Horology (More content to come shortly)
1. This is a presentation I gave on 26 March 2023 on French horologist Julien Le Roy (1686-1759) and his four sons.
2. This is the first of a two-part article I wrote which was published in NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin in Summer 2019. It describes the life, times, and work of Parisian horologist André-Charles Caron (1698-1775), his son Pierre-Auguste (1732-1799), and his main worker Jean-Antoine Lépine (1720-1814).
3. This is the second and concluding part of the article on Caron I wrote which was published in NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin in Fall 2019.
4. This is a presentation I gave on 25 November 2018 on French horologist André-Charles Caron and his shop on Rue Saint-Denis in Paris.
5. This is an article I wrote on French horologist Jean Jodin (1713-1761) and his fascinating daughter Marie-Madeleine (1741-1790).
6. This is a FRENCH chronology I prepared of the dispute in 1753-54 between Jean-André Lepaute (1720-1788) and Pierre-Auguste Caron (1732-99) dealing with the invention of the “double-virgule” escapement. Lepaute had tried to appropriate the role of inventor, which had been contested by young Caron (son of Parisian watchmaker André-Charles Caron, and better known later by the name Beaumarchais). Caron had called upon the Académie Royale des Sciences which had investigated the matter in depth, and concluded in favour of Caron as the true inventor. Many open letters between Lepaute and Caron were published in the newspaper Mercure de France, which offer a very interesting perspective on the the dispute between two watchmakers: Lepaute, of great renown and reputation, and Caron, a young apprentice who nevertheless defended his point of view very well. Many other Parisian watchmakers were named or involved in this affair, and a table at the end of the document provides some details about them. (This research document serves to complement published article number 3 above.)
7. This is the Eulogy of Julien Le Roy written by his son Pierre in 1760, in the rare book Étrennes Chronométriques. It was transcribed and translated by Robert St-Louis and appears below in both languages. This document is very rare to come across so this author is making it available as a service to horological enthusiasts and historians.
8. This is an article I wrote which was published in NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin in December 2020. It describes the life, times, and work of Parisian horologist Pierre-François Le Roy (1687-1752), the lesser-known brother of Julien Le Roy (1686-1759), about whom I've written a lot. The article also discusses Julien and his son Pierre, to cover the three main members of this horological family. The article was significantly researched and I included some detailed notes and appendices, which should be of interest to any horological enthusiast even mildly interested in this slice of French horological history.
9. This is a reference document I wrote which collects various sources and insights serving to better define the term "Horloger du Roi" which appears on some early French horological items.
10. Ce document de référence réunit plusieurs sources et pensées sur la dorure des bronzes (ainsi que leur restauration/préservation) retrouvés dans les objets d'horlogerie du XVIIe, XVIIIe et XIXe siècles. This is a reference document I wrote which collects various sources and insights surrounding brass gilding techniques (and their later conservation/restoration), in 17th, 18th and 19th century French horological items.
11. Ce document décrit une formidable pendule de la période Empire nommée "Annone", produite par l'horlogier parisien Joseph Bassot (1780-1867".
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(All original content on this site is the property of Robert St-Louis, Ottawa, Canada)