135,250 CHF
“Silver Deck Chronometer” John Arnold, London, No. 20/63. The case by Thomas Hardy with London hallmarks for 1797. Very fine and extremely rare, silver deck chronometer with spring detent escapement and “O-Z” balance. Accompanied by a three-tier mahogany fitted deck box. Three-body, “consular”, polished, maker’s mark “TH”, swivel pendant. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer dot minute markers and Arabic five minute numerals, large subsidiary seconds. Blued steel “Spade” hands, the minute hand secured by a screw. 60 mm., frosted gilt full plate, ringed cylindrical pillars, 10 holes jeweled with screwed chatons, fusee with chain, Harrison’s maintaining power, Arnold spring detent escapement with large steel escape wheel, steel and brass “O-Z” balance with meantime adjustment screws and temperature adjustment nuts, free-sprung blued steel helical balance spring with terminal curves, diamond endstone, pierced and engraved single footed cock. Dial and movement signed. Diam 73 mm. Notes John Arnold (1736-1799) After being apprenticed to his father in Cornwall, John Arnold established himself in London in 1760. Four years later, he presented George III with a half quarter repeating cylinder watch mounted in a ring. By the time he was 28 years old, his watches, whether verge or cylinder, displayed some original components such as straight-line compensation curbs and minute repeating by increments of 10 minutes instead of the more normal 15. It was towards 1768 that h
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-05-14
