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A rare silver pocket…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
22-Oct-2024
Lot No.
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Description:
A rare silver pocket chronometer, maker John Arnold and Son English Circa 1795 4.4 cm diameter, 5.3 cm case diameter, 6.7 cm case hight. A rare silver pocket chronometer, maker John Arnold and Son. English Circa 1795. Silver consular watch case, the movement hinging out of the case at 12 o'clock. The inside of. the case bears the maker's mark 'TH" (probably Thomas Hardy), and all the London hallmarks except the date cipher which is badly rubbed. It also bears the numbers 14 above 1014. The case has a long pendant and a stirrup bow. The movement has a spring detent escapement, two-armed compensation balance, helical. blued steel spring with terminal curves, free sprung. Pierced and engraved balance cock table which is quite narrow, diamond endstone, solid engraved foot, and circular pillars. Signed on the back plate "John Arnold & Son, London, 14 (over) 1014, Inv. et Fee.". The white enamel dial has Roman hour numerals and blued steel hands. It is signed "Arnold". above the centre of the dial and "14" below the centre. Reference: Vaudrey Mercer, in his book entitled "John Arnold & Son" (The Antiquarian Horological. Society, London, 1972) at page 81, says: "Besides the "best kind" and the "second kind" there is another series which was started by. John Arnold & Son, and I propose to call it the "Second Best Kind", since they are all large. pocket chronometers similar to the best kind but differing in not having a seconds dial. This. would seem to imply that they were not quite as expensive as the best kind, but were. accurate to the nearest minute. The series has a fractional numbering, the fraction differing by. 1000, and there are three in this series recorded so far, Nos 9/1009, 14/1014 and 17/1017". At page 211 he continues: "SECOND BEST KIND". John Arnold & Son. Pocket Chronometers with Spring Detents, and Z Balance, but no Seconds Dial.". 9/1009 Spring detent in its original state. 14/1014 Spring detent in its original state. 17/1017 Spring detent in its original state. Arnold believed he was the inventor of the helical balance spring and obtained a patent for it in 1775. He also obtained a patent in 1782 for the terminal curves added to the ends of the helical spring to enable each coil to expand equally. Compensation balances of various designs were again inventions of his. The spring detent which he patented in 1782 was different and theoretically more correct than the type patented by Wright on behalf of Earnshaw in 1783. The development of the chronometer by English watch makers allowed England to maintain. its naval power as the accuracy of the new timekeepers allowed seafarers to plot their longitude more precisely than ever before. Kenneth Slessor's poem "Five Visions of Captain Cook" starts: "Two chronometers the captain had, One by Arnold that ran like mad,". Cook carried the Arnold chronometer on his third Pacific voyage. Provenance: Purchased from Terence Camerer Cuss in December 1978 for 3,550 pounds. Terence had bought it at Sotheby's London 1 December 1978 The Edward Hornby Collection {Lot 64) where it was listed as made in 1815, but it was made in 1795. Dimensions: 4.4 cm diameter, 5.3 cm case diameter, 6.7 cm case hight
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Horology (Clocks & watches): Watches - Pocket & Fob