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French, London: A Two-Day Chronometer

French London two day mahogany ships chronometer detent escapement antique

A small mahogany marine chronometer by French of Royal Exchange.

The two-day duration chain-fusee movement has a detent escapement with compensating balance and is signed in script on the backplate French, Royal Exchange, London, 5722, being for Santiago James Moore French, and is set within a brass bowl and gimbal

The signature is repeated to the 3½ inch round silvered dial which is engraved with black Roman numerals, an 'up and down' state-of-wind dial and a subsidiary second’s dial and has blued steel spade hands.

The brass bound, three tier mahogany case has brass carrying handles and an interesting sheet pasted within the top lid advertising the merits of E. Dent & Co and was presumably placed there at a later date when they worked on this piece.

Dimensions: 17cm x 16.5 cm x 16.5 cm

 

Santiago James Moore French worked at various addresses in and around the Royal Exchange in London, including Sweetings Alley from 1811 having been admitted to the Clockmakers Company in 1810 and then 86, Cornhill until 1840, the year it is recorded he died and the business was taken over by the Spanish clockmaker de Losada, with the address being 80, Royal Exchange before finally settling at 16, Northampton Square Clerkenwell until at least 1865. He was a fine clockmaker who advertised in Spanish and also sold a fair number of clocks in New York and watches to the Admiralty. De Losada supplied many chronometers to the Spanish admiralty, in one year it is believed thirty-eight went to them from the London workshops.

 

The serial number of this chronometer would indicate a date of manufacture as circa 1835 and prior to 1840.

Price: Sold

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Ref: SR166

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