AN AMERICAN TWO-DAY MARINE CHRONOMETER

H.H. HEINRICH, NEW YORK. NO. 609, CIRCA 1880

Details

AN AMERICAN TWO-DAY MARINE CHRONOMETER
H.H. Heinrich, New York. No. 609, circa 1880
The silvered dial signed and numbered H.H. HEINRICH. NEW YORK. No. 609, EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE 1869 logo (at X), and REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE. H.H. HEINRICH (at II) both filled red, Roman hour numerals within minute chapter with Arabic five minute intermarkers, subsidiary seconds and up-and-down dials, gold hands, Earnshaw escapement cut bimetallic balance with circular heat compensation weights, blued steel helical balance spring, spring foot detent with jewelled locking stone, the pillar-plate with the punchmark KLINE & CO. NEW YORK U.S.A. and numbered 609, brass bowl gimballed in three-tier brass-bound rosewood box, mother-of-pearl disc to front of middle section inscribed H.H. HEINRICH 102 FULTON ST. NEW YORK, and on the bottom section a square mother-of-pearl plaque inscribed No. 609, external brass drop handles
102 mm. dial diam., 175 mm. sq. box

Lot Essay

H.H. Heinrich is recorded at 102 Fulton Street in 1896.

The punchmark KLINE & CO. NEW YORK U.S.A. on the pillar-plate is of considerable interest. It is accepted that such a punchmark on the plates of a marine chronometer indentifies the maker of the frames, with very few exceptions the frames of chronometers with American names on the dial were not made in America, and Marvin E. Whitney The Ship's Chronometer, American Watchmakers Institute Press, 1985, pages 371-373, under the entry Kline & Company states "there is little evidence that Kline produced any chronometers". This framemaker's punchmark on this chronometer belies this statement.

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