News A few days before the end of winter, the Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) presented all of its 2022 acquisitions received through donations or purchases.
New additions to the collection were particularly numerous in 2022. Among the 69 items bearing witness to horological history from the 18th to the 21st centuries, several are totally exceptional.
First of all, a longcase clock with equation of time by Lepaute in Paris. Lepaute’s watchmakers are considered to be the finest exponents of 18th and 19th century French horology. The regulator acquired by the MIH is a splendid example in the Louis XV style, also signed by master cabinetmaker Balthazar Lieutaud, who specialised in the manufacture of clock case cabinets, notably for the royal court. Its mechanism is very complex as it features a calendar, an equation of time display and a three-quarter and hours strike.
Two spectacular travel clocks have also been added to the museum’s collection. These were created by independent watchmaker Anthony Randall (Gaïa Prize 2003) for Seth Atwood, a famous American collector and founder of the famous Time Museum in Rockford, Illinois, which closed in the 1990s.
Finally, a remarkable gift from the Swiss Army Divers Association and Doxa Watches in the shape of the original Sub 300T Professional No. 5042 (1970). The only watch order to date in the entire history of the Swiss Army, this watch was produced in a run of only 147 units between 1969 and 1975. Engraved on the caseback, the last three digits of the series are linked to the personal equipment number of the combat swimmer and now enable extremely accurate dating of these watches.
April 06, 2023
