Clearly, the wealth of information available to us today through books, publications, and the Internet seems endless, but the fact of the matter is that there is relatively little information on most clock and watchmakers and an abundance of information on relatively few. I suppose it is not surprising to realize that being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with the names that survive the test of time—that and a critical mass of wealthy patrons, perseverance, long life, and let’s not leave out true genius. Many, however, lay in relative obscurity until we find reason to appreciate their artifacts and research their contribution. This article is about one such watchmaker working in London at the end of the eighteenth century, John De Lafons.

Recently I had occasion to purchase a clock-watch signed John De Lafons, London, No. 1112. I was immediately taken by its fine craftsmanship and unique dial. Clock-watches, which strike each hour and the quarters, like a striking clock, are relatively scarce. This watch, like many made for the Middle East and Turkey, was designed to appeal to local tastes. It sports a second hand in the form of a snake, with cut stones and an equally glitzy case. These features and the Turkish numbers clearly identify this watch as being made for the Turkish market. The off-set center wheel for the time completes the symmetrical dial face, which also has calendar days and strike-silent hands, in addition to the “snake” second hand that rotates around the outer dial edge (Figure 1). The dial is signed Royal Exchange London, which was established in 1566, and so named by Queen Elizabeth in 1571 to compete with, and later overtake, the leading European marketplace at the time, Antwerp. Located at the corner of Threadneedle and Cornhill, and flanked by the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange, the Royal Exchange was at the center of English commerce and world trade by the time this watch was made in about 1805. 

John De Lafons

There were several De Lafons working in London in the eighteenth century. The maker of this watch, John De Lafons, worked at Pinner’s Court, Old Broad Street, from 1790 to 1794; Threadneedle Street in 1800; the corner of Bartholomew Lane in 1810; and at St. Swithin’s Lane in 1815. Clockmakers’ Records, courtesy of British Horology Chapter 159, indicate that De Lafons was free of the Clockmakers’ Company on July 6, 1789. The records also indicate that he had two apprentices: George De Reimer, for seven years ending about 1788, and Henry Peter Burning De Lafons (his son) in 1807. 

In 1801, John De Lafons received 30 guineas from the Society of Arts for inventing a new remontoire escapement, and in 1805 he patented a marine alarm chronometer.  Ironically, one of the most comprehensive works on De Lafons’ contribution can be found in Rees’s Clocks, Watches and Chronometers, where his escapement is detailed—somehow Rees neglected to put John De Lafons into the index! Through good fortune, I was able to acquire the original 1802 Society of Arts Transactions that announces the award and details what Lafons describes as a more economical and perfected constant-force escapement design than those of Mudge and Haley. Clearly, De Lafons was a very capable watchmaker; however, his contribution in the literature ends with this description.

The Watch

This watch employs a verge escapement, not the escapement invention that was the subject of the Society of Arts award. Verge escapements were not unusual for export trade, even at this late date, due to their reliability and ease of maintenance. The Lafons watch is large and fairly typical of the early 1800s, and is of high quality construction. If one were only to see the back side of the watch it would be rightfully claimed as English, however, viewed from the front, under the dial, it would be most certainly identified as French. It appears that Lafons started with a French ebauch; the case, dial, and all the motion and striking work are of French design. The time train is English, and the whole was finished in London, where he worked.

The calendar section of the watch is what is known as “simple” since the setup is for a 31-day month every month, with corrections being made for months of a lesser number of days. This is very consistent with most of the calendar watches of the period, which seem to be almost exclusively of French or Swiss origin.

The clock-watch striking mechanism is a different matter altogether (Figure 3). Both the hour and quarter hammer blows are determined by one wheel in the upper right of the dial (A). It has 12 sets of steps with each set having four notches, three of which are the same and serve to actuate the 15-, 30-, and 45-minute quarter-hour strikes. The fourth notch, controlling the hours, becomes progressively deeper for each hour of striking with 1:00 having the least depth. The rack tail (C) determines the depth of the step and regulates the number of blows to be struck. The strike control lever (D) in the center of the movement is cocked by the cannon pinion and slips off the cannon pinion with enough force to release the rack (B), which in turn strikes the quarters or hours as the case may be.

The two hammer levers are located at (F) and strike the respective quarters in a ting-tang fashion. However, an unusual feature of this watch is the long hammer lifting lever (E) that extends from the left side of the cannon pinion all the way to the bottom of the watch, and ensures that only one hammer strikes the hours. On the hour strike only, a single projection on the cannon pinion moves the top of this lever to the left, causing the bottom of the lever to move to the right, which lifts one hammer just enough to prevent it from actuating. Therefore, only one hammer strikes the hours and the same tone is heard for each hour struck.

Like most complicated watches of this period, this one reflects a design that is unique to this watch. Overall, it is an interesting watch both visually and mechanically. Mechanically—due to the rather unusual combination of both French and English qualities, as well as the features described—and visually, due to the outstanding dial and finishing. Is it a French or English watch? The answer is on the dial “Lafons Royal Exchange London”: Take your pick.

Bibliography

Baillie, G. H. Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World, Volume 1. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1929. 

Britten, F. J. Old Clocks and Watches & Their Makers, Seventh Edition. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1956.

Chamberlain, Paul M. It’s About Time. New York: Richard R. Smith, 1941.

Rees, Abraham. Rees’s Clocks, Watches, and Chronometers: (1819-1820); a selection from the Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. Rutland, Vermont: 1970. pp. 255-256.

Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (extract), Volume XVI, 1802. London: James Phillips, 1783.

About the Author

Richard Newman is a diverse collector of British and American clocks with a special interest in eighteenth- century watches, including pre-mass production American watches. He became interested in clocks and watches at an early age, following in the footsteps of his father. The author recalls his father telling him a wonderful story of attending a New England auction in the early 1950s with his mother and buying their first clock for $6. The price would have been less if his mom and dad were within sight of each other when the bidding started, because well into the excitement of twenty-five cent raises they realized that they were actually bidding against each other. Six dollars back then was a lot of money, but he sure wishes they had bought a Massachusetts shelf clock or two! Mr. Newman can be reached at rrpnewman@yahoo.com.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank the following people who contributed information or assistance in the preparation of this article: David Cooper for performing the mechanical observations on the clock-watch and for his photographs. Don Dahlberg, NAWCC Library and Research Center research volunteer, Roger Gendron and Phil Priestley (British Horology Chapter 159) for helping to locate and contribute information about John De Lafons.