DESCRIPTION:
Bliss & Creighton, New York, 2 day marine chronometer, gilt plate fusee movement with diamond pattern decoration, spring detent escapement, Bliss & Creighton patent H balance with blued steel helical hairspring, silvered Roman numeral dial with wind indicator, marked "Bliss & Creighton New York No. 1842", gold wind indicator, hour and minute hands, blued steel seconds hand, lacquered brass screw bezel with flat glass, lacquered brass tub in gimbals, contained in a mahogany box with brass hardware, with correct and possibly original key, c1850
CONDITION:
Movement dirty and with gummy oil, runs but should be serviced in order to prevent premature wear, steel parts with strong blue, movement decoration crisp, hands appear to be original, hour hand repaired, dial with minor discoloration and verdigris at 1:00, scattered spotting, and minor scratches, significant loss to infill in numerals, tub and interior hardware with lacquer loss and tarnish, box dirty and with old finish, minor scratches, brass corners on back of top with minor separation from box due to shrinkage, hardware with lacquer loss and tarnish, box front retains a 19th century paper label with the chronometer number, 7" x 7" x 7". This clock has avoided contact with heavy handed restorers. The plate scraping is bright and crisp, the blued steel parts have very good color, and with the exception of the dirt and gummy oil appears to be very good overall. The box and the hardware are also untouched, and have the evidence of age that one would expect on a mid 19th century object. Additional evidence of the condition is found in the 19th century paper label with the number 1842 on the box front. Any serious attempt to clean or refinish the case would have resulted in the loss of this label. If you have been looking for a nice American chronometer that has not been abused, then this may be the one for you.
ESTIMATE:
$3000
-
$4000
PRICE SOLD:
$3300
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