A Mid-Victorian rosewood Two-Day Royal Observatory Marine Chronometer with Airy's Bar and Rokeby's Side Winding

CHARLES FRODSHAM NO. 3169; CIRCA 1855

Details

A Mid-Victorian rosewood Two-Day Royal Observatory Marine Chronometer with Airy's Bar and Rokeby's Side Winding
Charles Frodsham No. 3169; circa 1855
The silvered dial signed Charles Frodsham, 84 Strand, London. No. 3169, garter testimonials at X and XII, and with the inscription With Airy's Compensation, Roman hour numerals, outer minutes chapter with Arabic five minute intermarkers 60-5-10 et seque, blued steel fleur de lys hour and minute hands, subsidiary seconds dial engraved within it the Government Mark, up-and-down dial both with blued steel hands, small movement (63 mm. dial) inscribed Charles Frodsham LONDON and with the Government Mark, the fusee square carrying large diameter brass wheel to engage with the side-winding assembly, Earnshaw escapement, cut bimetallic balance with Airy's bar, spring foot detent with jewelled locking stone, brass bowl with internal counter-weight and side-winding assembly (at II), bezel with very thin reflecting ring and flat glass, brass-bowl and gimbal, three-tier rosewood box, the middle section with inset bone disc inscribed CHAS. FRODSHAM No. 3169 and the Government Mark, external brass drop handles, ivory handled crank winding key
88 mm. diam. 190 mm. square box

Literature

Cmdr Ruperd Gould, The Marine Chronometer, London, 1973, p. 220

Lot Essay

Royal Greenwich Observatory records give the following concerning the H.M. Ships to which this chronometer was issued:
No. 3169 C. Frodsham 2-day
purchased May 1860
In July 1864 No. 3169 was fitted with Rokeby's external winding gear and at the same time a new box and gimbal was also fitted
8 March 1865 HMS Megaera
3 Jan 1871 HMS Pert
14 Oct 1886 HMS Victor Emanuel
15 Feb 1896 Malta
11 July 1901 HMS Imperience
18 May 1916 Sydney
Transferred to the Australian Government. See Hydrographer's letter 24 August 1921.
Lt. Langham Rokeby, R.M., designed in 1863 an arrangement with a vertical spindle mounted on the side of the gimbal. To get the wheel on the fusee arbor into engagement with the pinion the chronometer had to be locked into its gimbals and the key pressed firmly down. This arrangement was fitted with one or two Admiralty chronometers for trial but they were apparently found to be clumsy and easily deranged

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