Nicole Nielsen & Co, Soho Square, London. SOLD

SOLD

A superb bronze case carriage clock with twin up and down power reserve dials. Circa 1890

Case

The case with ribbed handle over a bevelled glass panel with repeat button to the right and calendar adjuster to the left. Bevelled glass panels to the sides over the one piece silvered dials, right side engraved for the mercury thermometer reading against Reamur and Fahrenheit scales, each marked for the strategic temperatures of 'Freezing', 'Temperate', ‘Summer Heat' and 'Blood Heat’. The left side acting as a calendar, with the one piece silvered dial set with a vertical day-of-the-week column adjustable from the rotating button above, beside each day is a selection of dates to allow for any day and date combination. Solid rear door with three shuttered winding holes.

Dial

One piece silvered dial with minute track enclosing the Roman numerals and twin subsidiaries for power reserve for both the going- and striking- trains marked 'Down' and 'Up', Blued steel moon hands.

Movement

8 day twin chain fusee movement held by five pillars with blued steel screws and collets through the backplate. Harrison’s maintaining power to the going train with a frosted gilt platform, lever escapement with cut and compensated bimetallic balance and gold timing screws, over-coiled blued steel balance spring, detailed regulation arc to the rear. Striking the full hour on the hour and a single blow every half hour on a blued steel coiled gong, repeating the hours via the repeat button.

Height 7 1/2inches (19cms)

Adolphe Nicole established his watchmaking business in London in 1837 and went on to play a central role in 19th century horology. He invented two types of Constant Force Escapement as well as a new split seconds hand for timing two events simultaneously on a watch. In 1844 he patented a keyless winding system, the manufacturing rights later passing to Dent to whom he supplied many fine movements.

In 1876 Adolphe was joined by Emil Nielsen, a Scandinavian watchmaker and the firm became Nicole, Nielsen & Co.

Such was the acclaim of the workshop, The Horological Journal visited and published an article in June 1889. The clocks and watches surviving today often feature the most complex functions including their legendary tourbillons, in particular the series of remarkable silver hump-back travel clocks made just before the First War which also feature the twin up-and-down power reserve subsidiaries on the main dial.