Lennox Pluvier Watch Around 1665, King Charles II commissioned the London-based Huguenot watchmaker Isaac Pluvier to make a love-themed, luxurious, gold enamel watch.[1] The King then gifted it the sixteen-year-old Frances Teresa Stuart, one of the greatest beauties to grace the decadent English court.[2] This watch, now known as the Lennox Pluvier Watch, is sumptuously decorated and crowded with expensive complications, including a seconds dial. As such, it is an extraordinary survival; it is an object of courtly love, a highly important early verge and just one of three known Pluvier watches.[3] Since their invention, watches were actively coveted and gifted as objects of splendour to express status and court favours.[4] They first appeared in the royal courts of Europe during 1400s and were owned by royalty and members of the ruling class, as these were the only people who could afford them. Their subsequent development remained a court-driven phenomenon, fuelled by the competition and conspicuous consumption of the European ruling classes. Right on through the 1660s, early verge watches continued to be used as courtly objects and diplomatic tools to curry favour and express status. They also continued to be incredibly expensive and were still seen as one of the latest technological marvels, even though, by modern standards, these were not very accurate or reliable. Still, they were coveted for being the first complete portable timekeepers and epitomised luxury. The Lennox Pluvier Watch is typical of watches made during this time, and watchmakers, such as Pluvier, made successful careers of packing in multiple complications into these tiny packages. Very little is known of Pluvier. He appears to have been part of a vibrant community of highly skilled Huguenot artisans working in the Blackfriars area of London and his story is presented here on Clocktime.[5] Tragically, he died, probably from plague, in 1665, at what appears to be the apex of career, not long after he was royally commissioned to produce the Lennox Pluvier Watch.[6] To get to grips with the complexity of the Lennox Pluvier Watch, a guided tour of its numerous complications is necessary. Then, we will explore the environment in which the Lennox Pluvier Watch was commissioned and get to know the people through whose hands it initially passed. Fortunately, the watch’s provenance is detailed, and its context is well-documented. This allows us to piece together a rich account for the life of this important object. The watch: a guided tour As mentioned above, the Lennox Pluvier Watch is packed with complications on its dial and backplate. The dial: telling the time On the dial is a single straight, blued-steel hand in the disc’s centre. This is the minute hand. Its appearance is often counter-intuitive to the modern eye, as, at first look, most assume that this is the hour hand. The hour is instead indicated via a gilt hour marker, which is affixed to the enamel painted centre disc. This painting features a reclining Venus and fly cupid with drawn arrow. The hour marker is located on the edge of the disc by Venus’ foot. The entire disc rotates clockwise, and, as it does so, the marker indicates the hour on the surrounding green champlevé chapter ring with Roman numerals. The blued-steel minute hand points directly to the thin band of minute markers that surround the green chapter ring. The use of a gilt indicator for the hour was standard practice for the time. For example, there is a similar indicator on the King James Portrait Watch, made around 1618 by David Ramsay, which is exhibited on Clocktime. Yet, the inclusion of a minute hand on the Lennox Pluvier’s dial is unusual for the time. It was not until the late 1600s and early 1700s that minute hands begin to routinely appear on watches, such as the Quarter Repeating Watch, No. 144 made by Thomas Tompion in 1697 (coming soon to Clocktime) and the Gold Cylinder Watch made by George Graham in 1733 (exhibited on Clocktime). The dial: two calendars The two outer rings on the dial function as a dual system calendar, indicating the day of the month for both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. The days of the month, numbering 1-30 (making it tricky to read the calendar during longer months with 31 days) are represented on the outer blue champlevé ring. The outer gold ring displays the correspondent planetary symbols for each day of the month, in blue. The day of the month for both calendar systems is indicated by two small silvered-indicators that rotate around the thin silvered band between the calendar ring and the chapter ring. The larger of the two, shaped like a closed hand with a pointed finger, marks the day of the month according to the Gregorian calendar. The second tiny triangular indicator marks the day of the month according to the Julian calendar. The two calendar rings are fixed, while each indicator rotates clockwise around the dial. (Use the zoom button below the Clocktime display of the animated Lennox Pluvier Watch to see each pointer in detail.) When this watch was made, the Julian calendar was favoured for use by Protestant nation, such as England, even though it had fallen hopelessly out of sync with events, such as equinoxes, and major holidays, such as Easter. During the 1660s, it ran 11 days behind the newer, more accurate Gregorian calendar system. The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It made up for the inaccuracies of its predecessor, the Julian calendar, by skipping several days and using a much more accurate rule for calculating leap years. It was adopted for use by Catholic countries, such as France and Spain. Obviously, the rejection of the papal Gregorian calendar by Protestant countries was religiously and politically motivated. Today, the Julian calendar now lags 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. This is how it represented here on Clocktime. The backplate: abundance in every second Pluvier engineered even more complexity into his watch’s backplate. Just below the pendant at the top of the backplate is a beautifully decorated mechanism that allows the owner to adjust the speed of the watch. This stationary set-up mechanism is manually operated. It comprises a ringed-steel balance with blued-steel open work installed above another beautifully painted enamel disc. This disc features the blindfolded figure of the Roman goddess Fortuna, who is surrounded by free-floating objects representing the world’s abundance. This adjustment disc is fixed and does not rotate. It is manually operated by moving the hand, which in turn increases or decreases the pressure on the line of the watch’s internal fusee, thus making the watch run faster or slower as needed. Along the diameter of the backplate is an unusual, pierced and intricately engraved silver balance cock, which protects the balance wheel, keeping time, beneath. The balance cock features a pierced and engraved figure of Mercury, holding a snaked staff and wearing his winged hat and boots. Centred in the bottom half of the backplate is a large subsidiary seconds dial. This feature is highly unusual and was highly innovative for its time, as precision timekeeping had not yet developed far enough for a seconds hand to make much sense.[7] In fact, this mechanism could keep time for only very short durations.[8] Thus, this complication was a delightful and very expensive novelty. Still, its inclusion was noteworthy and ambitious; it is certainly one of the earliest known seconds dials on an English watch.[9] The subsidiary seconds dial also features yet another beautifully rendered enamel painting on its disc. In it, the figure of Chronos, the Greek god of time, transports worldly goods with him across the River Styx. The disc itself is fixed. The single, blued-steel seconds hand rotates counter-clockwise to indicate the second. Although no other surviving Pluvier watches have seconds dials, it appears that Pluvier devoted himself to grappling with the engineering of this type of complication.[10] Pluvier’s will, written in September 1665 and proved in January 1665/1666, includes six watches with seconds hands in an inventory list.[11] Courtly love in Charles II’s royal court The story of the Lennox Pluvier Watch is located within the epicentre of King Charles II’s court, one of the most decadent royal courts in English history. What is more, the curation of the watch’s decoration and complications appear to speak directly to Charles’ romantic designs upon Stuart, as well as to Stuart’s identity and situation. Who was La Belle Stuart? Frances Teresa Stuart was the daughter of Sophia and Walter Stuart. Walter was a distant relative of the royal house of Stuart. Walter was a physician in Queen Henrietta Maria’s (b. 1609, d. 1669) court. As the first English Civil War (1642 –1646) approached, the Queen sought support abroad for her husband King Charles I and even attempted to instigate a coup to overthrow his enemies, the Parliamentarians. In 1644, when the Royalist cause became too dangerous, she was forced to flee to France and her entire court, including Stuart and Sophia, followed suit. Frances Teresa Stuart was born to the couple in exile in Paris in 1647. She grew up in the French court, speaking French and steeped in French culture and custom. Although she was not Catholic, she undoubtedly grew up celebrating religious holidays with the nobles at court according to the Gregorian calendar (discussed above), which was the calendar system used by France and other Catholic nations. After the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, numerous Royalist exiles began to make their way home to England. In 1663, the Stuarts, along with their sixteen-year-old daughter Frances, set sail for England. Up to this point, the French court was the only home that Frances had ever known. Shortly after the Stuarts arrived in London, Frances made her debut at the English court. This young, beautiful, and, to all intents and purposes, culturally French, young lady had landed in the epicentre of one of the more decadent royal courts in Europe. Granted, she would not have been completely at sea in this new environment, having grown up in Europe’s most decadent court of all, the French royal court. The ‘merry monarch’ When Charles II was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland in May of 1660, the political instability and economic austerity of the previous decades still cast a long shadow over the country. Britain had just come out from under a tumultuous period, which saw the fighting of the English Civil Wars from 1642 to 1641, the execution of the king’s father Charles I in 1649, and eleven years of Republican rule under Oliver Cromwell – a time known as the Commonwealth period. In every sense, the Restoration was seen as a new glorious beginning, and this prompted a dynamic shift in culture. Indeed, the arts and sciences flourished during Charles II’s reign. The King also re-modelled the culture of his royal court, taking direct inspiration from the intrigue and glamour of the French royal court, that he and the Stuarts knew so well. Charles had spent much of his time in France during his exile. As such, he introduced many French fashions and activities to the formerly staid English courts. The English royal court soon transformed itself into the bawdy playground of the nobility, an arena of pleasure in which the libertine (a man ruled by sensual pleasure and who disregards morality) reigned supreme. The King himself deliberately embodied the figure of the libertine, and he made a point of peopling his court with young men who were described as such. Within his court, Charles encouraged ‘free love’ and flouted tradition. Even the women of the court were encouraged to be witty, brazen and sexually liberated. In this milieu, the nobility gambled, drank and partied. Adultery was the norm, especially for the King, who used prostitutes and enjoyed innumerable flings and at least 14 mistresses throughout his reign. By extension, London became the centre of fashion and a locus of art and culture. Theatres re-opened with women on the stage for the first time.[12] Lively taverns and pubs were frequented, and city parks were alive with activity. This was a time of decadence and pleasure. Upon her arrival at court, Stuart was a instant hit. Admired for her beauty and wit, she quickly acquired the nick name La Belle Stuart. She also caught the wandering eye of the King. Apparently, he immediately fell ‘in love’ with her (as he was prone to do) and set about pursuing her. By all accounts, Charles’ obsession with her ran deep. He even toyed with the idea of marrying her. Yet, she refused to become the King’s mistress and managed to resist his affections during all her years at court. Stuart was admired and pursued by numerous men in addition to the King. The writer and Tory politician Samuel Pepys commented about her in his diary on 13 July 1663 that ‘with her sweet eye, little Roman nose, and excellent taille, [she] is now the greatest beauty I ever saw.’ She was courted by the Duke of Buckingham and the son of the Earl of Bristol, Francis Digby, whose unrequited love for her was celebrated by the poet, John Dryden. But, it was Charles Stewart (b. 1639, d. 1672), 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, with whom she fell in love. In 1667, Stuart married the Duke of Lennox, who was a fourth cousin of the King. The two eloped after their secret relationship was discovered by the King. Apparently, Lady Castlemain, The Duchess of Cleveland and the King’s premier mistress at the time, led the King to Stuart’s apartment at midnight when the Duke of Richmond was there. This was Castlemain's attempt to sour the King’s affection for Stuart. Furious upon his discovery of the couple, the King promptly expelled the Duke from court. It was out of fear that the King might marry them off to other people, that prompted the secret lovers to elope. Apparently, the King was still considering the possibility of a divorce from his Queen, Catherine of Braganza, to enable him to make Stuart his wife right up to the point where she eloped. And, still, even after her marriage, the King’s affections for La Belle Stuart did not wane, as she remained a firm favourite of his until the end of his life in 1685. Courtly love: gifting the watch Charles II probably gifted The Lennox Pluvier Watch to Stuart during her first years at court to woo her and convince her to become his mistress. Still, it is unclear whether the King already had the watch in hand or had it specially commissioned with Stuart in mind. The royal gifting of timepieces to court favours in this way was not unusual, and there is a long history for the commissioning and gifting of timepieces within the English court. There are numerous examples of Queen Elizabeth I using the gifting of elaborate timepieces as a diplomatic tool.[13] And, in her article ‘Gifts of imperfection: Elizabeth I and the politics of timepieces’, Miranda Wilson argues that Dudley and those associated with him used the occasion of the New Year’s Day Gift Rolls to give the queen various types of timepieces rather than any other type of presents.[14] Also, King James VI and I probably commissioned the outstanding King James Portrait Watch, made by David Ramsay around 1618, and probably gifted this watch to an important personage who could make use of its Gregorian calendar. The ill-fated King Charles I, father of Charles II, commissioned his fair share of watches as well. Charles II’s penchant for gifting timepieces to his love interests is certainly well-documented. In 1677, the King commissioned a superb clock by Thomas Tompion, which he gave to Lady Castlemain.[15] (She had caught the King’s eye around the same time that he was pursuing Stuart.) This clock is now known as the Castlemain Tompion.[16] Apparently, Charles also presented a silver watch as a tournament prize. The description of this royal trophy is very similar to the Silver Chaise Clock-watch, exhibited on Clocktime. This early verge watch was made by Charles’ royal clockmaker Edward East around 1660. The commissioning and gifting of the Lennox Pluvier Watch also appears to have been thought through, down to the last detail. The love-themed enamel painting on the centre disc of the watch’s dial directly speaks to Stuart’s beauty and the King’s desire for her. The reclined figure of Venus has raised her arms. She appears ready to receive the arrow that Cupid, who hovers above her and is about to release his arrow in her direction. The image clearly alludes to the idea of impending love, with the figure of Venus probably representing Stuart. The inclusion of the dual calendar complication also appears to have been included with Stuart in mind. As a Protestant, Stuart could consult the Julian date for the correct observance of the English New Year. As for the inclusion of Greogorian calendar, this was both practical and thoughtful, as it provided the correct date for equinoxes, saints days and other important religious dates. It also may have served as a tangible connection to Stuart’s time in France. Perhaps the young woman missed the home and friends that she had left behind. Additionally, hers was history that she had in common with the King; he also spent much of his earlier years in France (as mentioned above). Thus, the inclusion of a dual calendar complication was not only practical, but it was also an inspired and thoughtful touch. Date of making and gifting Based on the royal precedence for the gifting of timepieces, the subject matter of the watch’s love-themed dial and the inclusion of a complex dual calendar system, it seems likely that the watch was specially commissioned as a gift for Stuart. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that Stuart received the watch while she was a Lady in Waiting to Charles’ Queen, Catherine of Braganza, between 1663 and 1665 – when Charles’ obsession with the teenager was at its frenzied height. Apparently, the king’s infatuation with Stuart was so great during this time, that when the queen’s life was in the balance in 1663, it was reported that he intended to marry the teenager. Therefore, Charles appears to have commissioned and gifted the watch to Stuart sometime between her arrival at court in 1663 and Pluvier’s death in 1665. Lennoxlove After she married in 1667, Frances Teresa Stuart, now the Duchess of Richmond, soon returned to court. This is also where she lived out the rest of her days. As discussed above, she remained a favourite of Charles II throughout, even after she was disfigured by smallpox in 1669. In 1702, at the age of 55, the Duchess died. Following her death, her trustees purchased Lethington Castle in Haddingtonshire, for the benefit of her family. The Duchess had stipulated in her will that the property was to be renamed Lennox’s Love. Over time this was subsequently shortened to Lennoxlove. The Lennox Pluvier Watch was housed in Lennoxlove, along with other precious objects that had one belonged to the Duchess. There it stayed until the house was sold to the 14th Duke of Hamilton in 1946. The watch remained in the possession of the Duchess’ family until it was sold at auction at Sotheby’s on 25 September, 2005 (Lot No. 207). Dr Kristin Leith, Curator of Clocktime December 2005 End notes [1] Carter 2021, 46-49, Catalogue No. 10; Garnier and Hollis 2018, 201, Catalogue No. 41; Taylor et al. 2020, 16 Exhibition No.2:3. [2] Hartmann 1924. Stuart’s first entry into the Diary of Samuel Pepys takes place on 8 February 1662/1663, when Pepys introduces gossip from Captain Ferres detailing the mock marriage of Stuart to Lady Castlemaine. [3] The other two known Pluvier watches are in store at the British Museum and can be viewed by request. They are the amber and gilt brass-cased verge watch in the form of a pear drop, made between 1645-1655 (Museum number 1958,1201.2309), and the gold and painted enamel cased verge watch made between 1645-1655 (Museum number 1958,1201.3128). Also see https://www.mrwatchmaster.com/mrwatchmaster-visits-the-british-museum-time-in-reserve/ It is possible that there are other surviving, but undocumented, Pluvier watches in private collection. [4] Koeppe 2019; Plassmeyer 2019. [5] Pluvier apprenticed with the famous Huguenot watchmaker, David Boquet, who worked in the Blackfriars area (Finch et al. 2024; Loomes 2006). This community of Huguenot makers in London took root after the first wave of Huguenot immigration to Britain following the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in France on 24–25 August 1572, which marked the start of a wave of violence directed against Protestants across France. [6] In his will, dated to 1665, Pluvier describes himself as ‘being Sicke in Body’. Stephen’s (1962, 21) suggests that this description indicates that the watchmaker died from plague. [7] Carter 2021, 48; Garnier and Hollis 2018, 201. [8] Pluvier seems to have been grappling with counting the seconds as a matter of practice, based on ‘several seconds watches’ listed in an inventory attached to his will of 1665 (Stevens 1962). Also see Leith (forthcoming) for an exploration of the state-of-play for English seconds watches during the 1660s. [9] Horologist and collector Dr John C. Taylor argues in the video that accompanies this exhibit that the Lennox Pluvier Watch is probably the first English watch to have a seconds dial and hand. [10] The other two surviving Pluvier watches are in store at the British Museum do not have seconds dials. See the amber and gilt brass-cased verge watch in the form of a pear drop, made between 1645-1655 (Museum number 1958,1201.2309), and the gold and painted enamel cased verge watch made between 1645-1655 (Museum number 1958,1201.3128), both at the British Museum. Also see https://www.mrwatchmaster.com/mrwatchmaster-visits-the-british-museum-time-in-reserve/ [11] Stevens 1962. [12] The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers even saw fit to amend the apprenticeship indenture contract, warning apprentices away from the dangers of cavorting with women, particularly actresses. [13] Bent 1892; Danson 2009; Wood 2015. Read more about the magnificent organ clock that Elizabeth gifted to the Ottoman ruler, around 1598. [14] Wilson 2020. [15] Carter 2021, 46. [16] Carter, J. ‘Exceptional English Clocks’ Collection: Exhibit No. 2’; Dawson et al. 1994, 347–352 and 444–446, pls 23 and 24, 498–502; Evans et al. 2013, 384–385. References Bent, T. (editor). 1892. Early Voyages and Travels in the Levant: I. The Diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599–1600. II. Extracts from the Diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670–1679. With Some Account of the Levant Company of Turkey Merchants (Issue 87 of Works issued by the Hakluyt Society). New York, NY: B. Franklin. Cantor, A. 2017. ‘MrWatchMaster visits: the British Museum – Time in reserve’ in MrWatchMaster https://www.mrwatchmaster.com/mrwatchmaster-visits-the-british-museum-time-in-reserve/ Carter, J. 2021. The John C Taylor Collection: Part II (Selling Exhibition Catalogue, Carter Marsh & Co.). Winchester: Carter Marsh & Co. Carter, J. ‘Exceptional English Clocks’ Collection: Exhibit No. 2’. https://www.cartermarsh.com/product/exhibit-no-2-the-silver-tompion-circa-1677/ Danson, L. 2009. ‘The Sultan’s organ: Presents and self-presentation in Thomas Dallam's “Diary”’ in Renaissance Studies 23(5): 639–658. Evans, J., J. Carter and B. Wright. 2013. Thomas Tompion – 300 Years: A celebration of the life and work of Thomas Tompion. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Walter Lane Publishing. Garnier, R. and L. Hollis. 2018. Innovation & Collaboration: The early development of the pendulum clock in London. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd. Hartmann, C. H. 1924. La Belle Stuart: Memoirs of Court and Society in the Times of Frances Teresa Stuart Duchess of Richmond and Lennox. New York, NY, USA: E. P. Dutton & Co. Koeppe, W. 2019. Making Marvels: Science and splendour at the courts of Europe. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pepys, S., R. Latham and W. Matthews. The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A new and complete translation. London: G. Bell and Sons. Plassmeyer, P. 2019. ‘Scientific instruments as courtly objects’ in Making Marvels: Science and splendour at the courts of Europe. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stevens, J. C. 1962. ‘The Will of Isaack Pluvier: Containing an inventory of a London clockmaker’s stock just prior to the Great Fire’ in Antiquarian Horology 1:4, 18–21. Taylor, J. C. and K. Leith (with contributions from T. Phillipson and K. Neate). 2020. The Luxury of Time: Clocks from 1500–1800. Isle of Man: Fromanteel Ltd. Wilson, M. 2020. ‘Gifts of imperfection: Elizabeth I and the politics of timepieces’ in Explorations in Renaissance Culture 46(1): 44–56. Wood, J. L. 2015. ‘An organ’s metamorphosis: Thomas Dallam’s sonic transformations in the Ottoman Empire’ in Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies 4: 81–105. Further reading Britten, F. J. 1986. Britten’s Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers: A history of styles in clocks and watches and their mechanisms (ninth edition). London: Bloomsbury Books. Loomes, B. 2006. Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World. London: N.A.G. Press.
