Live Auction 1404Important Watches
Smith & Sons. An unusual 18K gold openface keyless pocket chronometer with 52 1/2 minute karussel with Class A Kew Certificate
Lot 379

Smith & Sons. An unusual 18K gold openface keyless pocket chronometer with 52 1/2 minute karussel with Class A Kew Certificate

SIGNED SMITH & SON, STRAND, LONDON, WATCHMAKERS TO THE ADMIRALITY, ENGLISH REVOLVING ESCAPEMENT, KEW CERTIFICATE CLASS A, 73.4 MARKS, MOVEMENT AND CASE NO. 43'211, STAMPED WITH LONDON DATE LETTER FOR 1896

Closed10 November 2014

Price Realised

CHF 6,875

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Smith & Sons. An unusual 18K gold openface keyless pocket chronometer with 52 1/2 minute karussel with Class A Kew Certificate
Signed Smith & Son, Strand, London, Watchmakers to the Admirality, English Revolving Escapement, Kew Certificate Class A, 73.4 Marks, movement and case no. 43'211, stamped with London date letter for 1896
Three quarter plate gilt-finished jewelled movement, lateral lever escapement, screwed gold chatons, blued screws, gilt karussel carriage, bimetallic compensation balance with gold poising screws, index regulator, gold cuvette, white enamel dial, Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands, subsidiary seconds, plain circular case, case stamped FT for Fred Thoms, case and cuvette numbered, movement and dial signed and numbered
52 mm. diam.

Specialist note

The present watch is part of a small series of high precision timekeepers made by S. Smith & Son. It was submitted for trial at the Kew Observatory where it obtained a Class A Certificate with 73.4 marks. Its movement was most probably supplied by Bahne Bonniksen and then finished and adjusted by Smith & Son.

The Karussel or Carrousel was patented in 1882 by the Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen who had immigrated to England.

Both Karussel and Tourbillon are revolving escapements with the escapement placed on a small rotating platform, a device to eliminate errors of rate in the vertical positions. The Karussel escapement however is driven by a fourth wheel, which is not fixed but rotates within the platform. Consequently it is turning at a much slower rate than tourbillon carriages, varying from 34 to 52.5 minutes per full rotation depending upon the design. It is also more robust and easier to produce than a tourbillon, hence less expensive.