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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Paris, France, Switzerland · 1714–1796

Jean Romilly

Partially verified

Watchmaker, journalist, and encyclopédiste

Life & work

Born into a family of Huguenot watchmakers in Geneva, Jean Romilly received his initial training in the family workshop alongside his father and brothers.

At the age of twenty, he moved to Paris to establish his own career, eventually settling on the Place Dauphine and later in the Rue de Furstenberg. He became a master watchmaker in 1752 and was eventually appointed as the watchmaker to the King. Beyond his horological pursuits, he contributed significantly to the intellectual life of the period as a founder of the Journal de Paris and an editor of the Encyclopédie.

He attained professional recognition for technical improvements in his art, including the development of a watch capable of running for a full year without being rewound.

The fuller biography summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Training, contributions & innovations

  • He authored several theoretical articles on watchmaking for the Encyclopédie.
  • In 1777, he co-founded the Journal de Paris, which functioned as a prominent publication for the Enlightenment bourgeoisie.

Documented works

  • He is noted for creating a timepiece that maintained operation for one year without rewinding, though he credited Ferdinand Berthoud with finalizing the required accuracy.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

Firms, key models & movements

No firm, model or movement in this encyclopedia is yet recorded under this maker's name.

In the object catalogue

2 catalogued objects are recorded under Jean Romilly. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

12345let downstripcleanoilregulateorder of work; never skip letting down the mainspring
Schematic: order of work at the bench. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Jean Romilly, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Jean Romilly, Wikipedia (French), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Romilly, Jean, Watch-Wiki, retrieved 2026-11-03

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.