01 Watch182 A four colour gold, enamel and paste set verge watch L'Epine Hger du Roy a Paris ca 1770. Montre en Or de quatre couleurs avec miniature, signée 'L'Epine Horloger du Roy A Paris', troisième quart du XVIIIe siècle. Cadran en émail blanc, chiffres romains pour les heures, arabes pour les minutes, aiguilles (avec jargons) repercées et argenté; mouvement en laiton doré, coq repercé et gravé, disque de régulateur en argent, échappement à verge, piliers cylindrique; boîtier en or de quatre couleurs avec une miniature au fond encerclée de jargons. LÉPINE Jean Antoine, son of Jean. Paris (Place Dauphine), b.1720, d.1814. He was bom in Switzerland in a village called Challex near Geneva. He started his horological career in Geneva but soon went to Paris in 1744 as apprentice to Andre Charles Caron, the King's clockmaker. He married Caron's daughter in .1756 and was made Master in 1765 about which time he was appointed Horloger du Roi. Lepine was responsible for a great many inventions but none more important than a new calibre of watch movement that revolutionized watch making and with which his name is synonymous. This 'Lepine calibre,' in which separate bars were used instead of a single top plate was introduced about 1760. Introduced the use of a mainspring barrel supported at one end only, and other changes, leading, with cyl. escapement, to thin watches. Described a repeating movement using rack in place of chain, in Mémbre de 1'Acadademy des Science in 1766. Watchmaker to: Louis XV, Louis XVI and Napoleon I. Invented the virgule escapement and a keyless winding. Acted as agent for Voltaire's workshops at Ferney ca.1770. 4-colour g. watch: Victoria and Albert Museum. S. Kensington Enamelled watch and chatelaine: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Six watches: Guildhall Museum Two with virgule escapement: Collection of the late Major Chamberlaine 4-colour gold watch Fränkel coll.Lyre watch: Basle Museum Gold enamelled watches: M.P.S. Dresden. Watch Carnegie Museum Two 4-colour gold watches: National Museum Stockholm, Watch in porcelain case: Gélis coll.Watch in ring: Ilbert coll. Astro. clock and three mantel clocks: Buckingham Palace, London Two clocks: Palais de Compiègne, one made for Napoleon.Clock made for Josephine, Mobilier National, Paris An eminent maker. He worked as CARON ET LEPINE till 1769. Left his business to his son-in-law RAGUET in 1783. Lepine's business was sold in 1810 to J. B. CHAPUY, who employed Jacques Lepine. It was sold in 1827 to DESCHAMP, who was succeeded in 1832 by FABRE. The business continued under the name Lépine till ca.1916.