Jean Romilly
Jean Romilly (27 June 1714 – 16 February 1796) was an 18th-century Genevan watchmaker, journalist and encyclopédiste. Jean Romilly was born in a Huguenot family which took refuge in Geneva following the Edict of Fontainebleau, Romilly became known by various improvements he made to his art. He realized, among other remarkable works, a watch that could go a whole year without being winded, but he left Ferdinand Berthoud the honor to give his invention the required degree of accuracy.
Jean Romilly
Diderot et d'Alembert · Gallica · Public domain
- Born
- 27 June 1714
- Birthplace
- Geneva, Republic of Geneva
- Died
- 16 February 1796
- Place of death
- Paris, France
- Occupation
- Watchmaker Journalist
- Nationality
- Republic of Geneva
- Languages
- French · German
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3174407 · wikipedia · Jean Romilly
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
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Biography
Biography
Romilly was one of the founders of the Journal de Paris in 1777, and an editor of the Encyclopédie by Diderot and d’Alembert, to which he contributed articles on the theoretical part of watchmaking. His son, theologian Jean-Edme Romilly also collaborated with the Encyclopédie. His daughter, Jeanne, was general Cavaignac's grandmother.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 June 1714 • Birthplace — Geneva, Republic of Geneva • Died — 16 February 1796 • Place of death — Paris, France • Occupation — Watchmaker Journalist
Documentary record
Jean Romilly lived from 1714 to 1796 and is documented in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Jean Romilly was born in 1714. Jean Romilly died in 1796.
Identity
Identity
Jean Romilly is recorded as journalist, writer, watchmaker and encyclopédistes.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1714
Jean Romilly born at Geneva.
1796
Jean Romilly died at Paris.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Geneva.
Birth place
Paris.
Death place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Jean Romilly, revision 1373918677 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 4
- E. Haag, La France protestante, t. 8, Paris, Joël Cherbuliez, 1858, (p. 513).
- G. H. Baillie: Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World. (1929) Reprint Read Books, 2006, .
- Kathleen H. Pritchard: Swiss Timepiece Makers 1775 – 1975. Phoenix-Verlag, USA. .
- R.A. Leigh (Ed.): Correspondance complète de Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 52 vol. 1965–1998.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3174407: Jean RomillyWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Watches
318 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Jean FredmanArtist
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- Jean-André LepauteArtist
- Jean-Antoine LépineArtist
- Jean-Baptiste SchwilguéArtist
- Jean-François BautteArtist
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