Thick watch, called ‘oignon’ (onion), with silver gilt rim; by De Lisle; Paris, France, late 17th century; dia. 2¼” (5.72 cm.).
This is a late example with two hands – many have only one. Most of these watches are timepieces, but this one repeats hours and quarters; the case is pierced so the bell can be heard clearly. The one-piece enamel dial has a hump at each hour figure and a hole at 4 o’clock to allow winding through the dial (common in continental watches). The ‘glass’ is rock crystal and very high – no lesst than II mm. – making the whole watch 38 mm. thick.
