Important Watches, Pocket Watches and...

Noga Hilton Hotel, Nov 13, 2005

LOT 65

?Sidereal and Mean Time Valet Astronomique? Breguet & Fils, No. 3144, ?Pendule Astronomique?, sold to Monsieur Ducom on November 10, 1817 for 800 Francs. Very fine and important, mahogany eight-day going weight driven high precision astronomical floor-standing regulator with center seconds and pendulum calibrated for both sidereal and mean time.

CHF 80,000 - 120,000

EUR 50,000 - 80,000 / USD 60,000 - 90,000

Sold: CHF 226,250

C. Rectangular, veneered, hinged glazed door with lock, heavy wooden back mounted with a heavy gilt brass bracket fixed with the pendulum suspension and two movement mounting brass brackets, ormolu bezel with palm leaf decoration. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute and seconds track. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Circular brass movement contained in a brass cylinder, full plate, the barrel with maintaining power, heavy brass weight and counterweight, fourwheel train, modified Graham dead-beat escapement with adjustable steel pallets, the escape wheel in the center of the back plate, second-beating pendulum made of two wood rods, heavy brass bob, the rod with secondary brass bob mounted between the wood rods for micrometric adjustment of both mean time and sidereal time, mean time by raising the bob, sidereal time by lowering the bob. Signed on the dial and the back plate. Dim. height 89 cm. width 53.5 cm, depth 29 cm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

The pendulum of the present clock is possibly unique and certainly exceptionally rare. Two parallel wooden rods are fixed to either side of the large brass bob and at the upper end to the suspension hook at the top. Approximately two-thirds of the way down, a further brass bob is mounted between the rods, held in position by brass straps and an adjustable screw allowing the bob to be raised or lowered as required. Above and below this bob are two inset brass scales calibrated 3-2-1-0-1-2-3. ?Pendule astronomiques? were usually made for use in an observatory. They were intended for scientific and surveying purposes, which is why the pendulum can be calibrated both for sidereal time and for mean time. The handsome architectural case of the present clock suggests that it was made for the home of a gentleman. The movement, as in the ?Valets Astronomiques? is made so that just the movement with its heavy bracket could, if required, be transported and placed on any wall. Some were even sold without cabinets. Sidereal time is the time it takes the earth to make one full revolution around its axis. Since in practice this can be measured as the earth's rotation with respect to distant celestial objects, it is called sidereal or star time (sider means star in Latin). The sidereal day is 23 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds. The sidereal year contains one more day than the solar year.