Geneva and Neufchatel

American Watchmaker and Jeweler (1892)

He returned to Denmark in 1801, and was offered a partnership with a very clever artist, M. Etienne Magnin, who for some years had enjoyed a royal bounty to make longitude-chronometers for the use of ships. Young Jurgensen, however, preferred to enter into partnership with his father, and his younger brother, Frederick, afterwards court watchmaker, was his first pupil. In 1804 he compiled a memoir entitled, "On the Art of Watchmaking," Or "Rules for the Exact Measurement of Time," which was published at royal expense. A new and improved edition was published the following year in French. In the same year he received the silver medal of the Royal Society of Sciences, at Copenhagen, for a treatise entitled, "On the best mode of making and hardening Watch Springs." He resolved, owing to the scarcity of competent help and his own poor health, to remove to Switzerland, and accordingly in 1807 he removed to Neufchatel, where he remained two years. In 1809 he returned to Denmark. In 1815 he was made a member of "The Royal Society of Sciences." In 1822 he was made superintendent of all chronometers belonging to the Royal Navy, and in 1824 he was decorated with the Gold Cross of Dannebrog. He died on the 14th of May, 1830, being 53 years old. JURGENSEN, JULES. Son of Urban and one of the most noted watchmakers of the 19th Century. He was born at Locle, July 27, 1808, during the temporary residence of his parents in Switzerland. During his youth he worked under the immediate instruction of his father, but in 1835 he went to Switzerland, and from there to Paris and London, where he studied under the best masters in physics, mechanics and astronomy. Later he established a branch of his father's business in Locle and devoted his attention to the construction of pocket chronometers. The result of his study and experiments was the celebrated Jurgensen watch of to-day. The last years of his life were spent in Geneva and he died December 17, 1877. His son, Jules F. U. Jurgensen, succeeded to the business. KENDALL, LARCUM. A noted watchmaker of London, who constructed a timekeeper on Harrison's principle, which was given to Captain Cook, when he commanded the Resolution, in 1776. KULLBERG, VICTOR. A prominent horologist and successful chronometer maker. He was born at Wisby, on the Island of Gothland, in 1824. He went to London in 1851, where he remained until his death. His chronometers stood at the top of the list in the trials from 1880 to 1890 inclusive. He died July 7, 1890.