Important Collectors' Watches, Pocket...

Geneva, Mar 16, 2008

LOT 17

Miniature Quarter-Striking Ormolu Traveling Clock Ios. Weisfhaubt a Carlsbad. Made circa 1760. Extremely fine and equally rare, early miniature, three-train, quarter-striking and repeating ormolu traveling clock with calendar.

CHF 15,000 - 20,000

USD 14,000 - 18,000 / EUR 9,000 - 12,000

Sold: CHF 21,600

C. Gilt bronze, waisted, finely chased with foliate, rocaille and flower decoration, folding handle at the top, pierced lattice side frets, gilt bronze bezel. D. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer calendar, outermost minute track and Arabic five-minute numerals. Gilt brass beetle hour and minute hands, blued steel calendar hand. M. Shaped to fit the case, gilt brass, full plate with engraved scrollwork border, cylindrical pillars, fusee with chain for the going train, verge escapement with plain brass three-arm balance mounted vertically on the backplate, short balance spring, pierced scroll gilt brass cock with polished steel endplate, silver regulation dial above, striking on an underslung bell with two hammers for the quarters and a further hammer for the hours, the striking train with separate fixed barrels for the hour striking and the quarter-striking, strike/silent lever beneath the bezel in the dial plate. Dial and movement signed. Dim. 15 x 10 x 7 cm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3-26

Good

Upgraded
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

This exquisite and extremely rare clock is of very high quality and unusually small size. It was certainly meant as a traveling clock because of the use of a balance rather than a pendulum. Before the advent of the carriage clock such timepieces were usually in the form of miniature mantel clocks, of course these were only for very illustrious persons. For use in the bedroom, the striking can be turned off and the repeat used at nightime instead. Quarter striking clocks of this date and size are very rare and this clock has the unusual feature of having a separate train for both the hours and the quarters. It is also interesting that the hammers are tensioned by external springs so that they would not rattle on the bell during travel.
Joseph Weishaubt
Recorded working in Carlsbad after c. 1750. See: ?Meister der Uhrmacherkunst?, Jurgen Abeler, 1977.