Important Collectors’ Wristwatches Po...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 21, 1995

LOT 259

Thomas Mercer, St Albans, N° 2/30 also numbered 1198, 1970s. Little used, eight day going, domestic timepiece chronometer in rectangular solid-silver London hallmarked case rotatable upon a hollow weighted, cast-silver base, patterned to resemble waves. Original black calf, lockable, travelling box, lined in red, and with winding-key compartment, original keys for winding and lock.

CHF 13,000 - 16,000

Sold: CHF 13,800

C. Grained-silver, glassed four sides and top, slideup rear door. D. Grained-silvered-brass, Roman chapters, seconds, "up-and-down" dial, blued steel hands. M. Brass rectangular, "spotted", fusee and chain, maintaining power, "spotted" platform with spring-detent escapement (No 1232), having 13 jewels. Mercer's bi-metallic balance, palladium helical spring, ruby endstone to balance cock, stop/start lever. Signed on dial and movement. Dim. 19.75 x 13.5 x 10 cm. In excellent condition.


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Notes

THOMAS MERCER snr, the founder of the firm of Thomas Mercer, was bora in 1822 at St Helens, Lancashire. Trained as a watchmaker he worked for John Fletcher fotr two years before establishing his own business as a chronometer maker. Machines of his make did well in the Greenwich trials, and he also invented his own auxiliary tempetrature compensation, a modification of the Molyneaux-Eiffe balance. He died in 1900 when the business was continued by his sons Thomas jr (1876-1935)and Frank (1882-1970). Under their direction the company continued to make marine chronometers but diversified into survey chronometers, carriage ck-locks with chronometer escapements, and a range of electrical instrumentation. With thre retirement of the brothers the firm passed to Frank's two sons, Thomas Gurney and Frank Anthony ( Tony) who added a further range of instrumentation for industriel quality control. On their tretirement in 1983 and 1985 repectively, the business was purchased in 1984 by Sinclair Harding. Note: No 2 of a limited edition of 30 of these costly and wonderful modern chronometer-clocks were made.