FINE ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Tel.(01732)358986. Fax.(01732)771842.
To Contact us click here.
FINE ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Tel.(01732)358986. Fax.(01732)771842.
To Contact us click
here.
|
31385C.R A beautifully cased and very rare year duration longcase regulator. The case of a design straight from the Smith & Sons trade catalogue of 1865, takes the form of a very substantial inverted break front plinth with a moulded skirting and with block feet. The plinth has particularly fine flame veneers and is topped by a gadrooned concave moulding which supports the glazed trunk. The trunk itself has Corinthian fluted columns with ornate and beautifully carved capitals and bases and the top is finished with a domed wooden top, again with a beautifully carved frieze. The whole front of the clock lifts out to gain access to the weight, movement and pendulum and is locked in via a lock on the top of the case. The movement is mounted on a heavily carved buttressed plinth. The whole case is of the very finest quality. The year duration movement is quite exceptional, it only employs four wheels in the train, but the three main wheels are of extremely large proportions, the great wheel having 232 teeth and the other two wheels having 240 teeth each. They all act on ten leaf pinions. The plates are extremely thick and with very narrow separation to avoid flexing in the wheelwork and are held together by four massive double screwed pillars. The wheels have eight crossings and there is maintaining power. The deadbeat escapement with beat adjustment and the barrel which extends out of the back of the movement is held within a substantial bridge. The clock originally started life as a year duration clock, the configuration in which it now is, however at some stage it was obviously giving problems and the clockmaker at the time felt that it would be possible to improve its performance by reducing it to six months duration. It has therefore had a larger barrel made which was fixed over the original barrel. This has been kept with the clock as part of its history. The clock employs a mercury compensated pendulum with steel rod and steel stirrup holding the mercury jar which beats against a silvered beat plaque. The large driving weight runs down the left hand side of the clock. |
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The silvered brass dial has typical regulator layout with a large seconds ring at the top of the dial, the hour ring at the bottom of the dial and the minutes round the edge of the main dial. The clock is illustrated in "English Precision Pendulum Clocks" by Derek Roberts, page 235. Height: 6' 9" (206 cms.) Sold Smith & Sons of Clerkenwell were established in 1780 and became one of the most important manufacturers of clocks in the mid 19th century. They produced many fine clocks but this would have been one of their best productions and almost certainly the movement would have been especially commissioned from a fine clock or chronometer maker as it is very different to any of their standard movements, although the case is straight out of their catalogue. |
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