James Stratton
Director
Lot 115
A rare late 19th century oak cased double fusee ships clock with "ships bells" striking Webster, 2 Sise Lane, London
2 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£1,000 - £2,000
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Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
A rare late 19th century oak cased double fusee ships clock with "ships bells" striking
Webster, 2 Sise Lane, London
The drum case with silk-backed sound fret to the top, and set on a carved bracket, the brass bezel secured by a side lock with bevelled glass protecting a 9 inch painted white Roman dial with subsidiary seconds, and matching gilt hands, regulation effected via a lever above XII. The double chain fusee movement with shaped plates united by five pillars, the going train with maintaining power and large platform with English lever escapement. The strike train sounding "ships bells" via a custom-made rack and snail setup, on a pair of polished bells mounted to the backplate. Currently ticking and striking, and sold together with a winding key and case key. 45cms (18ins) including bracket.
The drum case with silk-backed sound fret to the top, and set on a carved bracket, the brass bezel secured by a side lock with bevelled glass protecting a 9 inch painted white Roman dial with subsidiary seconds, and matching gilt hands, regulation effected via a lever above XII. The double chain fusee movement with shaped plates united by five pillars, the going train with maintaining power and large platform with English lever escapement. The strike train sounding "ships bells" via a custom-made rack and snail setup, on a pair of polished bells mounted to the backplate. Currently ticking and striking, and sold together with a winding key and case key. 45cms (18ins) including bracket.
Footnotes
The ship's bell system is a traditional method used aboard naval and merchant vessels to mark the passage of time during a sailor's watch. Unlike conventional clocks, it strikes one bell every half-hour, accumulating up to eight bells over a four-hour watch. For ease of recognition, bells are typically struck in pairs—e.g., "two bells" for one hour, "four bells" for two hours, and so on—with an odd bell at the end if required. This system not only kept time but also structured daily routines aboard ship, dividing the crew into rotating "watches" to ensure the ship was manned around the clock. The "dog watch" (16:00–20:00), split into two, allowed for a rotation of duties so no sailor had the same watch each day. Some ship's bell clocks simplify this pattern for domestic or decorative use, but they still echo this deeply rooted maritime tradition.