Sold! Sold! Sold! – Arnold Chronometer for Hodges Dublin – Spring Detent Escapement – “Z Balance” – 68mm Silver Case – 1810c

General Description:

This is a beautiful and ultra rare 19th Century Irish Pocket Chronometer by F.Hodges, Dublin, which has Arnold’s Spring Detent Escapement, his “Z” balance with weights and a Flat hairspring, which has an indexed Regulator. It comes in large Silver Consular Case, dated 1810c.

It has a 58mm Enamel Dial with Roman Numerals and a large flush sub-seconds dial at 6pm.

The 68mm diameter Case is 95mm incl. the ring; bears London Hallmarks for 1810c and weighs 293 grams. It has a gold bezel and a matching gold edge insert on the back.

The movement is in very good working condition (The seconds hand moves in 1/2 sec steps).

Our ref is ACC 404 and this watch comes to you directly from a large Irish Watch Collection, which was assembled over the past 40-50 years.

Priced at €3,950.00 or nearest Offer.

Payment Methods for this item are by :

– Bank Draft / Cashiers Cheque
– Direct Payment of Funds by Electronic Transfer to my Bank Account ( The Payments Page is Preloaded with this information).

Dial:

Type :   Enamel
Signed :    –
Width (mm):  68mm (Note:25.4mm=1inch)
Numerals: ROMAN
Hands: Blued Steel
Crystal: Glass
Condition: Very Good – no visible defects

Case:

Metal Content: SILVER – London 1810c
Serial Number:   –
Maker: FC  PHB.
Diameter (mm):68
Diameter – (mm) incl.Pendant Ring : 95
Condition: Very Good – no dings, light wear marks.

Movement:

Calibre : English Spring Detent Escapement – Arnold’s Calibre
Model: Fully Jewelled Fusee Chronometer
Serial Number:
Condition: Beautiful Cosmetically
Timekeeping: Not fully Tested at time of listing, but running very well
Overhauled: Status unknown
Other: A very rare Irish signed Chronometer with a Movement which possibly came from John Arnold’s manufactury.

Note on F. Hodges Dublin  – (Extracted from Watch and Clockmakers in Ireland by William Galland Stuart , edited by David Boles ( Dublin 2000)

Listed at 138 Capel St., Dublin from 1796- 1801 (see J Crosthwaite) and at 27 Grafton St. from 1810-1839 (succeeded to J.Crosthwaites Business) and died in 1839.

Extracts from Wikipedia:

John Arnold (1736 – 11 August 1799) was an English watchmaker and inventor.

John Arnold was the first to design a watch that was both practical and accurate, and also brought the term “chronometer” into use in its modern sense, meaning a precision timekeeper. His technical advances enabled the quantity production of marine chronometers for use on board ships from around 1782. The basic design of these has remained, with a few modifications unchanged until the late twentieth century. With regard to his legacy, one can say that both he and Abraham-Louis Breguet largely invented the modern mechanical watch. Certainly one of his most important inventions, the overcoil balance spring is still to be found in most mechanical wristwatches to this day.

It was from around 1770 that Arnold developed the portable precision timekeeper, almost from the point where John Harrison ended his work in this field. But, compared to Harrison’s complicated and expensive watch, Arnold’s basic design was simple whilst consistently accurate and mechanically reliable. Importantly, the relatively simple and conventional design of his movement facilitated its production in quantity at a reasonable price whilst also enabling easier maintenance and adjustment.

But three elements were necessary for this achievement:

• A detached escapement, which gave minimal interference with the vibrating balance and balance spring
• A balance design that enabled compensation for the effect of temperature on the balance spring
• A method for adjusting the balance spring, so that the balance oscillates in equal time periods, even through different degrees of balance arc

See also extracts on the web from Jonathan Bett’s “Marine Chronometers at Greenwich” – published in 2017, for further information about John Arnold.