Pendleton, London
An exceptional month duration longcase regulator. Circa 1780
Case
Figured mahogany case with shallow arched hood with canted reeded angles, moulded door frame and concave mouldings. Highly figured trunk door, raised panel to the base with double stepped plinth. Trunk door opening to reveal a glass panel sitting in a pair of mahogany runners, to avoid variations in air flow between the weight and pendulum bob. Solid mahogany backboard is the thickest we have seen at over 2 inches. This case was made by the same case maker used by Dutton and Vulliamy.
Dial
11 inch the one-piece silvered shallow arch dial with regulator layout signed Pendleton, London. Outer minute ring enclosing the subsidiary seconds dial with 5 second Observatory marks and subsidiary hour dial. Winding aperture through the hour hand. Fine blued steel hands. Dial secured to the frontplate of the movement via four turned tapering pillars, each secured by three screws to the movement frontplate and a single screw to the dial.
Movement
Substantial, one month duration, weight driven movement has six large tapered pillars. The delicate train of wheels with six crossings throughout mounted to the high count steel pinions with a steel horseshoe washer and screw, a feature we have not seen on a regulator. The steel dead beat pallets with beautiful curved edges and jewelled inserts. Jewelled pivot holes to the pallet arbor and 'scapewheel arbor. Harrison's maintaining power. Large brass A-frame screwed to the rear clock at the top and the thick solid mahogany seatboard at the base to support the heavy gridiron pendulum, comprised of five steel and four brass interconnected rods terminating in a double brass-faced bob with engraved regulation nut with whistle and flute adjustment.
Height 6 ft 2 ins (192cm)
Richard Pendleton was an exceptional, highly skilled, watchmaker, specialising in escapements and is thought to have had a considerable influence on the development of the modern lever escapement. He was employed by Josiah Emery to work on his development of the lever escapement. In 1799 Thomas Mudge Junior referring principally to Emery’s lever escpapement watch made for Count Von Bruhl, stated, 'it is a fact now very well known, that this watch, as well as all others of the same kind, made in Mr Emery's name, was executed for him by Mr Pendleton’. Thomas Mudge Junior hired Richard Pendleton along with other famous makers, Robert Pennington and William Howells to produce his father’s highly complicated marine chronometers.
It was customary for watchmakers to have a regulator in their possession for timing watches, so it is possible that this was Pendleton's personal regulator. Being a specialist watchmaker he made very few clocks himself.
£68,000