Pocket watch · Square pre-balance spring watch

Square watch by F. L. Meybom

Partially verified

This square pre-balance spring watch, preserved under accession number 17.190.1600 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, contains a movement signed by Parisian watchmaker F. L. Meybom and a case attributed to Protestant goldsmith Isaac Bergeron dit d'Argent. Dated circa 1670–1675, the timepiece features a spring-driven movement equipped with a chain fusee, a four-wheel train, and a crown-wheel verge escapement with a steel balance wheel without a balance spring. Its square gold case is ornamented on the back and sides with pierced, chased foliate openwork laid over blued-steel grounds.

Square gold case back featuring pierced foliate openwork over blued steel — The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source: www.metmuseum.org
Category: Pocket watch · Square pre-balance spring watch
Maker / attribution: F. L. Meybom
Reference: Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier: 17.190.1600
Source-reported date: ca. 1670–75
Country: France

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Movement Construction and Technical Challenges

The timepiece employs a square movement composed of two gilded-brass plates separated by four pinned baluster pillars. The mechanism is a spring-driven, chain-fusee design utilizing a four-wheel train and a crown-wheel verge escapement, featuring a steel balance wheel without a balance spring. Regulation is achieved through a worm-and-wheel system on the back plate, accompanied by blued-steel ornaments and a silver figure plate.

The small scale of this movement necessitated technical compromises, including reduced wheel and pinion sizes and limited gear ratios. To compensate, an additional wheel was integrated into the train. These constraints also required a smaller fusee with fewer turns, resulting in an estimated twice-daily winding requirement.

Evidence for this section

“The movement of the Metropolitan’s watch consists of two square, gilded-brass plates that are held apart by four baluster pillars, which are pinned to the back plate.”
“The watch is spring driven with a chain fusee and four wheels that end in a crown-wheel and verge escapement with a steel balance wheel.”
“The duration of the watch (the maximum period between windings) will thus be lessened, resulting in a watch that needs winding twice a day.”

Casing and Dial Ornamentation

The exterior features a square gold case with panels of chased openwork of gold floral and foliate designs applied over blued-steel grounds. The bezel is hinged and inset with eight rose-cut diamonds set in silver, surrounding a beveled-edge rock crystal lens, the center of which is polished as a lens.

The dial, pinned to the top plate of the movement, is made of white enamel with painted pink and blue floral spandrels and a dark blue basse-taille enameled center. The roman numerals are painted in black enamel, with half-hour and quarter-hour divisions marked on the chapter ring. The single hand is crafted from sculptured gold.

Evidence for this section

“The exterior of the square gold case is covered with four side panels of delicately chased openwork of gold floral and foliate designs applied over blued-steel grounds.”
“Hinged to the case is a square bezel with eight rose-cut diamonds set in silver and framing a beveled-edge plaque of rock crystal”
“The dial, pinned to the top plate of the movement, is made of white enamel with pink and blue floral designs painted in the spandrels and a dark blue basse-taille enameled center.”

Attribution and Historical Context

The movement bears the signature “F. Meybom AParis / St. Germain” on the back plate, suggesting the maker operated within the Abbey of Saint Germain-des-Prés. Records regarding the maker F. L. Meybom are described as nonexistent.

The case design is attributed to the Protestant goldsmith Isaac Bergeron (dit d'Argent) based on stylistic scholarly attribution. The watch is dated circa 1670–1675, a period noted for pre-balance spring movements.

Evidence for this section

“below is the watchmaker’s signature “F. Meybom AParis / St. Germain.””
“Nothing more is known about Meybom.”
“While the evidence for the attribution of the case to Bergeron is not wholly convincing”
“the Louvre’s Martinot watches and the Metropolitan’s Meybom watch all have pre–balance spring movements.”

Open research questions

Are there specific horological characteristics in the unsigned elements of the movement that suggest collaboration with other makers in the Saint Germain-des-Prés enclave?
Does microscopic examination of the back plate reveal evidence of secondary guild marks?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Square watch by F. L. Meybom
Field	Source-reported value	Source quotation
Movement Maker	F. L. Meybom (active ca. 1650–80)	“Watchmaker: F. L. Meybom (active ca. 1650–80)”
Case Attribution	Isaac Bergeron dit d'Argent (French, active 1649–97)	“Case attributed to Isaac Bergeron dit d'Argent (French, active 1649–97)”
Signature on Back Plate	F. Meybom AParis / St. Germain	“below is the watchmaker’s signature “F. Meybom AParis / St. Germain.””
Escapement	Crown-wheel and verge escapement with steel balance wheel	“crown-wheel and verge escapement with a steel balance wheel”
Dimensions	1 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 5/8 in. (3.8 × 3.2 × 1.6 cm)	“Overall: 1 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 5/8 in. (3.8 × 3.2 × 1.6 cm)”
Observed Damage	Deterioration of dial enamel	“The blue enamel in the center of the dial of the Museum’s watch displays areas of deterioration.”
Provenance	Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan	“Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917”

Visible details

Square gold case back decorated with intricate chased openwork floral and acanthus foliate designs radiating outward from a central rosette.
Dark blued-steel ground visible through the openwork gold overlay.
A chased granulated or stippled gold border frames the central openwork panel.
Small spherical gold pendant post with an articulated suspension ring at the top edge, and a case catch mechanism at the bottom edge.

Research qualifications

Case attribution to Isaac Bergeron dit d'Argent rests on stylistic scholarly attribution rather than a goldsmith's punchmark.
Only the case back is visible in the supplied single-view photograph; the dial, crystal, and movement interior are documented solely via source description.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Watchmaker: F. L. Meybom - Watch - French, Paris - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Reviewed 2026-10-25 · Record 288fc592d8

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.