Woolley & Wallis
Lot 65
Barraud. A fine and well documented 18ct gold pocket chronometer with rare four second calibrated dial, the full plate movement signed Barraud, Cornhill, London, no. 180, Arnold pattern spring detent escapement, two-arm bi-metallic multi-screw balance, blued steel helical spring, free-sprung with diamond endstone, the signed and numbered white enamel dial with Roman hours, subsidiary seconds at 6 o`clock with Arabic numerals marked in groups of four, the case plain, London 1818 (maker`s mark LC), 54mm diameter. Provenance: Formerly in the Time Museum, Rockford, Illinois, Inventory no. 1149. Literature: C. Jagger, Paul Philip Barraud, Supplement, AHS 1979, p.230. A.G. Randall, The Time Museum Catalogue of Chronometers, Rockford 1992, cat. No. 12, p. 71. Sotheby`s, Masterpieces from The Time Museum, New York, 2 December, 1999, Lot 8. Note: Cedric Jagger dates the movement of this watch to circa 1798 (sic) based on the number and case hallmarks of other surviving pieces. No. 159 is hallmarked 1796, No. 183 is marked for 1797, and No. 202 for 1798. The layout of the movement signature is the same as 183, which was originally also signed on the barrel bridge by Barraud`s partner, George Jamison. The conclusions are that this watch was upgraded by Barraud with a more advance multi-screw balance and a gold case in 1818 (No. 202 appears to have a similar upgraded balance). Three watches are known with the four second calibration (Nos. 180, 183 and 196). Jagger`s explanation of the unusual dial calibration was that with an escapement beating two fifths, the second hand will only coincide with every other division on a conventional dial, but always on a four second layout. Paul Philip Barraud, born 1752, Clcokmakers Company 1796, Master 1810. Worked with Howells and Jamison to make copies of Mudge pattern chronometers, and supplied instruments made by Pennington and Earnshaw.
