Importantes Montres de Collection

Geneva, Nov 13, 2011

LOT 457

WESTMINSTER CHIMING & GRANDE SONNERIE REPEATING CARRIAGE CLOCK French. Made circa 1890. Fine and extremely rare, gilt-brass and ivory, three-train carriage clock with unusual Westminster Carillon striking on four bells and two gongs, grande sonnerie repeating on gongs and alarm. Accompanied by a fitted case and key.

CHF 20,000 - 30,000

USD 22,000 - 33,000 / EUR 17,000 - 25,000

Sold: CHF 37,500

C. Gilt-brass, multi-piece, ?Anglaise? with acanthus leaf decoration, dentilled friezes, glazed four sides and the top, hinged acanthus handle. D. Ivory with black radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, alarm setting dial below, pierced ivory mask carved with roses over a polished gilt plate. Blued steel halberd hands. M. Brass rectangular with three going barrels, frosted and silvered platform with straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, fl at balance spring, index regulator, repeating the hours and quarters on two gongs, striking the hours on a gong and Westminster carillon with four hammers on four bells in the base via a pinned cylinder, separate alarm train with a further hammer. Dim. 17 x 10.8 x 9,5 cm., excluding the handle.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

Westminster Quarters Carriage clocks with Westminster quarters are exceedingly rare, especially with a carillon of bells rather than four gongs which are sometimes seen. The so-called Westminster quarters, familiar to everyone as the chimes of ?Big Ben?, are more properly termed ?Cambridge Quarters?. This familiar sequence is supposed to have been composed by Dr. crotch in 1780, based upon part of Handel?s ?Messiah?. Lord Grimthorpe heard the chimes of Great St. Mary?s, Cambridge, and adopted them for the great clock at Westminster. This clock strikes the Westminster quarters on four bells, at the hour the hours are struck fi rst on a gong followed by the bells. The repeating is grande sonnerie on the two gongs only.