An American brass-bound mahogany Elgin Model 600 two-day marine chronometer, mid 20th century

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more

Details

An American brass-bound mahogany Elgin Model 600 two-day marine chronometer, mid 20th century
Three-tier box with signature plaque to front, brass bowl and gimbal, 10.5 cm. diameter silvered Arabic dial with 48-hour up/down ring, signed ELGIN/U.S.A./N151/1943, with subsidiary seconds ring, blued steel hands, chain fusee with Earnshaw type escapement, cut bimetallic balance with steel helical balance spring, spring detent with adjustable block and jewelled locking stone, nickel plated and damascened plates with polished steel baluster pillars, the top plate with full signature and repeat number -- 7½ in. (19 cm.) square; with guard box

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Marvin E. Whitney, Military Timepieces, 1992, pp. 153-158
After the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. government instructed Hamilton and the Elgin National Watch Co. to make a 30-hour and an 8-day marine chronometer. Hamilton had a far better set-up for increasing production whilst Elgin had to start from scratch having never made marine chronometers before. Their first chronometer was accepted by the Naval Observatory after considerable adjustments but the next 22 all failed. Shortly afterwards the war ended and the contract was cancelled. Approximately 250 only of Elgin's Model 600 were sold to the public and today they are possibly the rarest 'mass-produced' chronometers on the clock market.

More from Clocks, Barometers and Marine Chronometers

View All