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Lot Essay
Victor Kullberg was one of the most eminent chronometer makers of his time supplying chronometers to the British, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian and American Navys. He was born in 1824 in Sweden and was apprenticed to a chronometer maker. He worked for a time with Urban Jurgensen in Copenhagen, and then in 1850 come to London where he started making chronometer escapements for the main manufacturers. He set up his own buisness in 1856 and soon established his reputation with his stem-wind pocket chronometers, which he entered into various competitions and trials winning some fifteen prizes in all the important European institutions. In 1874 he was awarded the Order of Wasa as Chronometer Maker to Norway and Sweden, and the highest recognition in Europe, America and Australia. In 1882 the Astronomer Royal announced that one of Kullberg's chronometers, no. 4066, was one of the best that had ever been tested at Greenwich. Kullberg's designs were very similar to the normal English layouts, but he used the reversed fusee system to reduce fiction and wear, and the quality of his workmanship was of the highest standard.
On his death in 1890 his two sons and his nephew, Wennerstrom, took over the business and following the death of Kullberg's sons Wennerstrom continued to run the business with his son. In 1894 Mr Sanfrid Lundquist from Sweden became a partner. The company continued until its premises were destroyed in World War Two.
According to the original workbooks held in the Guildhall Library, Corporation of London, work was commenced on this watch on 10 November 1897. A further entry records that the dial was ordered from Mr Willis on 19 February 1899 at a cost of -8/-. The watch was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1900 and may have been especially made for this occasion, as there is no recorded commission for the watch at the time of construction. It was not, however, sold until 21 August 1913 to one Mr Elliott C. Lee, an American citizen. In Das Tourbillon, Meis records that Kullberg only produced three tourbillon pocket chronometers and that only one of these had a detent escapement.
The correspondence between Mr Lee and the Kullberg workshops can also be examined at the Guildhall. Mr Lee was a customer of some longstanding, an entry of 1 August 1904 records "Mr George E. Cabot of Boston, Massachusetts, called and left watch 6500 presented to him by Elliot C. Lee. Gold open face centre seconds fusee keyless".
The following extracts are taken from letters sent by the Kullberg workshops to Elliott C. Lee in 1913 and relate specifically to no. 6583.
May 9: In reply to your favour of 3 inst. I have to inform you, that I have not got a 20 size or larger fusee chronometer in stock, nor in a forward state of manufacture to complete in reasonable time. The only open face fusee keyless chronometer I have in stock is an 18 size tourbillon Breguet pattern chronometer - quite a new watch so far, but I have had this in stock since 1900.
16 May: I am much obliged for your letter of 15th instz. and will forward to you the Breguet tourbillon watch. I cannot do so however before the end of this month as it must first be cleaned.
5 June: I shall be able to send the tourbillon chronometer next week, and will ask Messrs Coutts & Co. to give one your address.
9 June: I beg to acknowledge with thanks your letter of 7th instz. and hope to forward the chronometer on Friday this week. I expect the duty in France is not very heavy on gold watches and, that it can be declared as "gold watch" only in the Customs Declaration Form, otherwise, it may be sent as a loan watch. I do not know however whether this will be accepted by the Customs, and if I should not receive further instructions from you on this point, I will forward and simply declare it "gold watch".
14 June: I beg to advise you of the despatch of the gold chronometer by post this evening, and hope, it will come you safely to hand. It has just been cleaned and tried round once only, all the same I think it will keep a steady probably slightly gaining rate.
In reply, Elliott C. Lee wrote on 20 June 1913: I beg to send you my best thanks for the chronometer 6583 which came this morning. It is a beautiful watch. I do not remember having seen that special combination of a Karrusel and chronometer escapement before and should expect it to give a very close rate as it gets rid of the positon errors with the additional advantage of chronometer escapement. Since I wrote to you I have been wondering if I should not return to the States about August 20th.
Kullberg writes on 9 July: I hope the loan chronometer is keeping fairly good time - I am not quite sure of it, as we had only a short time to see it after cleaning.
According to an entry in Kullberg's Order Book 1913-19 Elliott C. Lee called on 20 August and ordered other watches to be delivered to him at the Burlington Hotel, Cook Street W. together with the account for various repairs and for the new watch no. 6583. On 21 August 1913 Kullberg's Shop Day Book records the receipt of 85,- from Elliott C. Lee for no. 6583. Interestingly the value of no. 6583 fluctuates quite considerably in the Kullberg stock book. It is first entered on 9 July 1898 at 17-12-0, peaks between 1901-1908 at 55-13-7 and then is reduced in 1909 to 40.
Elliot Cabot Lee was born 16 April 1854 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of Henry and Elizabeth Perkins Lee and he died in Camden, South Carolina 7 February 1920. He attended G.W.C. Noble's School between 1866 and 1872 before enrolling at Harvard, graduating in the class of 1876. He continued to study law at Harvard Law School from October 1877 to June 1879 after which time he was in Europe until September 1881. In November of the same year Lee entered the offices of Shattuck, Holmes & Monroe in Boston, being admitted to the Suffolk Bar in February 1883. Lee returned to Europe for 9 months in 1889 and for a further 6 months in 1890. In May of 1891 Lee commenced a world tour which took him to Japan, China, Java, Burma, India and Egypt, then back to Europe for the spring and summer of 1892 and returning home to the United States in October 1892. Further visits to Europe ensued between March and mid-November 1894, during 1903 and also in 1910 when Lee went on a six month motoring tour of Italy. It was during another motoring tour of Italy and France made during 1912 and 1913 that Lee purchased the present watch. 1914 saw Lee visiting Italy again afterwhich he spent some time in England until January 1915. After some time in California Lee returned home to Boston in July 1915.
On his death in 1890 his two sons and his nephew, Wennerstrom, took over the business and following the death of Kullberg's sons Wennerstrom continued to run the business with his son. In 1894 Mr Sanfrid Lundquist from Sweden became a partner. The company continued until its premises were destroyed in World War Two.
According to the original workbooks held in the Guildhall Library, Corporation of London, work was commenced on this watch on 10 November 1897. A further entry records that the dial was ordered from Mr Willis on 19 February 1899 at a cost of -8/-. The watch was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1900 and may have been especially made for this occasion, as there is no recorded commission for the watch at the time of construction. It was not, however, sold until 21 August 1913 to one Mr Elliott C. Lee, an American citizen. In Das Tourbillon, Meis records that Kullberg only produced three tourbillon pocket chronometers and that only one of these had a detent escapement.
The correspondence between Mr Lee and the Kullberg workshops can also be examined at the Guildhall. Mr Lee was a customer of some longstanding, an entry of 1 August 1904 records "Mr George E. Cabot of Boston, Massachusetts, called and left watch 6500 presented to him by Elliot C. Lee. Gold open face centre seconds fusee keyless".
The following extracts are taken from letters sent by the Kullberg workshops to Elliott C. Lee in 1913 and relate specifically to no. 6583.
May 9: In reply to your favour of 3 inst. I have to inform you, that I have not got a 20 size or larger fusee chronometer in stock, nor in a forward state of manufacture to complete in reasonable time. The only open face fusee keyless chronometer I have in stock is an 18 size tourbillon Breguet pattern chronometer - quite a new watch so far, but I have had this in stock since 1900.
16 May: I am much obliged for your letter of 15th instz. and will forward to you the Breguet tourbillon watch. I cannot do so however before the end of this month as it must first be cleaned.
5 June: I shall be able to send the tourbillon chronometer next week, and will ask Messrs Coutts & Co. to give one your address.
9 June: I beg to acknowledge with thanks your letter of 7th instz. and hope to forward the chronometer on Friday this week. I expect the duty in France is not very heavy on gold watches and, that it can be declared as "gold watch" only in the Customs Declaration Form, otherwise, it may be sent as a loan watch. I do not know however whether this will be accepted by the Customs, and if I should not receive further instructions from you on this point, I will forward and simply declare it "gold watch".
14 June: I beg to advise you of the despatch of the gold chronometer by post this evening, and hope, it will come you safely to hand. It has just been cleaned and tried round once only, all the same I think it will keep a steady probably slightly gaining rate.
In reply, Elliott C. Lee wrote on 20 June 1913: I beg to send you my best thanks for the chronometer 6583 which came this morning. It is a beautiful watch. I do not remember having seen that special combination of a Karrusel and chronometer escapement before and should expect it to give a very close rate as it gets rid of the positon errors with the additional advantage of chronometer escapement. Since I wrote to you I have been wondering if I should not return to the States about August 20th.
Kullberg writes on 9 July: I hope the loan chronometer is keeping fairly good time - I am not quite sure of it, as we had only a short time to see it after cleaning.
According to an entry in Kullberg's Order Book 1913-19 Elliott C. Lee called on 20 August and ordered other watches to be delivered to him at the Burlington Hotel, Cook Street W. together with the account for various repairs and for the new watch no. 6583. On 21 August 1913 Kullberg's Shop Day Book records the receipt of 85,- from Elliott C. Lee for no. 6583. Interestingly the value of no. 6583 fluctuates quite considerably in the Kullberg stock book. It is first entered on 9 July 1898 at 17-12-0, peaks between 1901-1908 at 55-13-7 and then is reduced in 1909 to 40.
Elliot Cabot Lee was born 16 April 1854 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of Henry and Elizabeth Perkins Lee and he died in Camden, South Carolina 7 February 1920. He attended G.W.C. Noble's School between 1866 and 1872 before enrolling at Harvard, graduating in the class of 1876. He continued to study law at Harvard Law School from October 1877 to June 1879 after which time he was in Europe until September 1881. In November of the same year Lee entered the offices of Shattuck, Holmes & Monroe in Boston, being admitted to the Suffolk Bar in February 1883. Lee returned to Europe for 9 months in 1889 and for a further 6 months in 1890. In May of 1891 Lee commenced a world tour which took him to Japan, China, Java, Burma, India and Egypt, then back to Europe for the spring and summer of 1892 and returning home to the United States in October 1892. Further visits to Europe ensued between March and mid-November 1894, during 1903 and also in 1910 when Lee went on a six month motoring tour of Italy. It was during another motoring tour of Italy and France made during 1912 and 1913 that Lee purchased the present watch. 1914 saw Lee visiting Italy again afterwhich he spent some time in England until January 1915. After some time in California Lee returned home to Boston in July 1915.