L'Essor 519

Description

Around 1920, the transition from cylinder movements to lever movements was in full swing, and an uncountable number of manufacturers wanted to be part of that game. Besids the familiar factories like AS or FHF there were also smaller factories like L’Essor from Court in Switzerland, which today nobody knows anymore.

This manufactury L’Essor made the caliber 519 shown here, a 8 3/4 ligne movement for ladies' pendant and the yet upcoming wristwatches, which were still tiny in size.

With three adjustments and lots of decoration, the L’Essor 519 certainly belonged to the upper class.

With the perleage under the visible parts, it makes a very good impression.
Interestingly, only the third wheel bearing contains a red ruby, all other important bearings contain transparent jewels, probably sapphire.

The L’Essor 519 uses the classical gear train with directly driven center minute wheel, third wheel, seconds wheel at 6 o’clock and the filigree steel escape wheel, which is still old-school-wise beared under an own cock.

The gears are beautifully finely machined, just look at the anglage on the inner side of the sprocket.

The L’Essor uses a two leg bimetal screw balance with a hairspring with a Breguet endshape. In combination with a long regulator arm, its 18000 A/h should be adjusted as fine and long lasting, as possible.

The lever is remarkably finely machined, it is angled on all sides. Technically it makes no difference to a crude stamped lever, but aesthetically, it plays in a different league.

The dial side is beautifully perleaged, too. Addutionally, it already uses a yoke winding system and thus shows the high standard of this movement.

Technical data

Usage gallery