13,800 CHF
Thomas Mercer, St Albans, N° 2/30 also numbered 1198, 1970s. Little used, eight day going, domestic timepiece chronometer in rectangular solid-silver London hallmarked case rotatable upon a hollow weighted, cast-silver base, patterned to resemble waves. Original black calf, lockable, travelling box, lined in red, and with winding-key compartment, original keys for winding and lock. Grained-silver, glassed four sides and top, slideup rear door. Grained-silvered-brass, Roman chapters, seconds, "up-and-down" dial, blued steel hands. Notes THOMAS MERCER snr, the founder of the firm of Thomas Mercer, was bora in 1822 at St Helens, Lancashire. Trained as a watchmaker he worked for John Fletcher fotr two years before establishing his own business as a chronometer maker. Machines of his make did well in the Greenwich trials, and he also invented his own auxiliary tempetrature compensation, a modification of the Molyneaux-Eiffe balance. He died in 1900 when the business was continued by his sons Thomas jr (1876-1935)and Frank (1882-1970). Under their direction the company continued to make marine chronometers but diversified into survey chronometers, carriage ck-locks with chronometer escapements, and a range of electrical instrumentation. With thre retirement of the brothers the firm passed to Frank's two sons, Thomas Gurney and Frank Anthony ( Tony) who added a further range of instrumentation for industriel quality control. On their tretirement in 1983 and 1985 repectively
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1995-10-21
