Rare Silver Pocket Chronometer by John Arnold & Son, Circa 1795
A rare silver pocket chronometer, maker John Arnold and Son English circa 1795 1.73 in. diameter, 2.09 in. case diameter, 2.64 in. 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: 1.73 in. diameter, 2.09 in. case diameter, 2.64 in. case hight
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- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
- Back Plate - On many types of clocks, the movement operates between two plates, usually made of brass, one at the back, and the other at the front, which forms a mount for the dial.
On English bracket, mantle and table clocks the backplate was often visible through a glass door or panel from the late 17th century, and could be profusely engraved with scrolling decorations, flowers, foliage, birds, and figures. The engraving could also include the maker’s name.
The amount of engraving reduced and became simpler as the 18th century progressed, and by 1800, had been reduced to a border, often with the maker's name in the centre. By the early 1800s all decoration had ceased, and only the maker's name was added, and by the Victorian era, most bracket, mantle and table clocks had no engraving. - Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
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