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A fine and rare late 18th century pocket chronometer movement of the 'best kind' John Arnold, London, No 25/83. Circa 1782.
£4,500 - £5,500
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Find your local specialistA fine and rare late 18th century pocket chronometer movement of the 'best kind'
the gilt full plate movement signed John Arnold, London, Invt. et Fecit No 25/83 with pierced and engraved, shaped cock with wide foot and narrow terminal supporting the large diamond endstone within a double screwed blued steel chaton, the gold helical spring of five turns to a steel and brass O Z balance of fine construction, the movement with circular turned pillars and chain fusee with maintaining power to an Earnshaw type spring detent escapement, the enamel Roman dial signed in upper case letters and with gold hands and a large subsidiary seconds dial at VI, The backplate 58mm. diameter.
Footnotes
This movement is illustrated and discussed in Mercer, John Arnold & Son, AHS, London,1972 Plate 105.
It has been suggested that this movement may have originally been supplied with the larger double S balance and a cut out in the edge of the backplate above one of the pillars does lend some support to this theory. However, the cut out section has never been drilled to accept the pin that would fix the pillar and thereby allow the balance free movement.
In 1791, Arnold charged 120 guineas for a pocket chronometer of the best kind in a gold case. One of the second kind in a gold case would cost less than half this figure, between 41 and 55 guineas, depending on the number of jewelled bearings.