The Jurgensen Dynasty represents four generations of extraordinary watchmakers working in two countries: Denmark and Switzerland. Urban Jurgensen (1776-1830) is perhaps the most renowned member of the family. He was among the most innovative personalities of the Danish Golden Age and internationally one of the most prominent watchmakers of his time. His contributions to the development of horology were significant and he was one of the first watchmakers and inventors to be recognised by the scientific establishment with his innovations in technology and science earning him a place in the Royal Danish Academy of science. In this manner, the book presents a broader cultural aspect of Danish history than the title at first suggests. It is a document of the art of watchmaking, as it is still exercised by the continuing production of Urban Jurgensen and Sonner timepieces today. Contents: The founding Father: Jurgen Jurgensen; Urban Jurgensen 2nd generation; Urban Jurgensen's timekeepers and instruments; Jules I and Louis Urban Jurgensen the 3rd generation; Jules II and Jacques Alfred Jurgensen the 4th generation; Urban Jurgensen and Sonner today. AUTHOR: John M.R. Knudsen has always taken a keen interest in all aspects of historic mechanical technologies such as that found in vintage cars, steam locomotives, watermills and all types of clocks and watches. He spent several decades of painstaking research that resulted in the Danish publication (1988) of the only major work on the Jurgensen family of watchmakers, now in an updated and extended English version represented in this new edition. Dr. Helmut Crott, born in 1946, became a medical orthopaedic surgeon before he discovered his passion for historical, collector's timepieces. In 1975 he founded the auction house Dr. Crott. From 1975 onwards he held more than 50 major auctions of collectors' watches in Frankfurt, Zurich and Hong Kong. Many of those objects are today part of important museum and private collections. After he sold his business in 1993 he became a private consultant and had the chance to build up one of the most important private collections of Patek Philippe watches, in addition to creating one of the most comprehensive databases about Patek Philippe timepieces that exists. Since 1977, Christian Pfeiffer-Belli became very well known in the field of horology with his founding of the collector's magazine Klassik Uhren. In addition he has been responsible for the publishing of a vast number of important horological books of all kinds. SELLING POINTS: .The first English-language book covering Danish contributions to horology, providing 240 years of history of the unique watch brand Urban Jurgensen .A detailed story of an important, yet lesser-known horological figure .The Jurgensen family actually shaped the development of watchmaking in Switzerland 560 colour illustrations
