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| Index No. A5345 | Very Rare Quarter Striking Stackfreed Alarm |
| A very rare late 16th Century oval German quarter striking stackfreed alarm in an octagonal gilt metal case. Deep oval fire gilt movement with five turned baluster pillars. Plain barrel ring to the mainspring decorated on one side with an applied pierced and engraved gilt shield. Ten leaf brass pinion driving the gilt wheel carrying the blue steel cam for the stackfreed. Steel "C" shaped stackfreed spring with blue steel roller. Decorative pierced and engraved cock secured by a screw, later blue steel coqueret. Small steel two arm balance. Small engraved gilt potence to the escape pinion, three wheel train, gilt wheels, steel five leaf pinions. Large pierced and engraved resting barrel for the striking work. Elaborately shaped face to the single hammer and large turned gilt weight to the fly pinion. Large brass count wheel for the quarter striking, the internal teeth driven by a three pin "castle" on a pinion of the striking train. The count wheel held in place by two decorative pierced and engraved plates. Small resting barrel to the alarm train. Gilt crown wheel, its pivot in a substantial gilt potence. Pierced and engraved gate controlling the alarm train, double ended steel hammer. The movement secured to the octagonal dial plate by a later blue steel latch. The front of the plate raised on bevelled edges and decoratively engraved. Later plain silver dial chapter and alarm disc with Roman numerals, long gilt hour hand and short blue steel "minute" hand. A hole in the dial allows the striking train to be released in order to synchronise it with the hands. Fine fire gilt octagonal case, the front and back bevelled and decorated in a similar fashion to the dial plate. The back decoratively pierced and engraved. The middle of the case pierced to form a colonnade of pillars. Small swing locking mechanism to the front cover, large glazed circular aperture to reveal the dial. Later ring bow and finial. The alarm and quarters struck on a large oval bell in the case. | ||
| Anonymous | German | |
| Condition | Circa | 1590 |
| Case | Excellent. The glass now held by a bezel rather than six claws (holes visible). | ||
| Dial | Very good. | Dimensions | 84 x 60 x 35 mm |
| Movement | Very good, see below. |
| This is a very rare watch and one of the earliest two handed watches known. An example of a movement only by Hans Gruber of Nuremberg, circa 1570 is in the British Museum. See the British Museum catalogue of stackfreed watches No. 11. This is also a quarter striking clockwatch. It is probable the quarter striking necessitated the use of an extra hand in order that a four pointed star could be used to release the train - rather than one with 48 points. The replacement dial has almost certainly copied the layout of the original and shows only the quarters, not the minutes. It is interesting to note that the hour markings are outside the quarters, the reverse of later practise. This is perhaps a unique opportunity to acquire such an early interesting watch. |
Due to its age and complexity this watch cannot be expected to function reliably. Although all three trains work the balance is prone to set. It then requires gentle help to start again. The watch has undergone one or perhaps two major refurbishment. The brass wheels of the going train are replacements but the pinions appear to be original. Surprisingly, although a coqueret has been added to the cock (causing little damage), it has never been fitted with a hairspring. The plugged holes in the plate are due to pieces being removed rather than major alterations. The holes close to the balance may have been for another retaining plate to the countwheel; (one of the remaining is original, the other a replacement). A small device to disable the alarm mechanism has also been removed. It is probable that the watch also had a rare form of bristle regulator which adjusted automatically as the mainspring ran down in an attempt to fine tune the action of the stackfreed. The gate controlling the striking work has been repaired, the piece left brass and plain but apparently to the same shape as the original.
| Despite the alterations this piece should be regarded as being in very good or excellent condition. Few mechanical pieces were made before 1620 and almost all that even survive were subject to "improvements" and repair in the early years of their existence. No attempt has been made to hide the changes carried out and they should be seen as an honest historical record of its life. |
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