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Lot Essay
The present chronometer is believed to have resided in the United States of America for well over a century and is presently in the collection of an American collector.
The plaque on the top lid indicates that it was formerly on the American Steam Yacht (USS) Sovereign which was built in 1911 by the Charles L. Seabury Company at Morris Heights Shipyards, New York for its owner Matthew Chaloner Durfee Borden. Borden was a textile manufacturer from Fall River, Massachusetts, where he built a large mill. The Sovereign was a high speed yacht of 160 feet which with four funnels and twin screw turbines could achieve a maximum speed of 29 mph. Initially built as a commuting and pleasure vessel the Sovereign was registered for possible National Defence Service but was not actually taken over by the Navy until 1918 when she operated on patrol service in the New York area for the rest of the war and a few months during the post-war period. She was then returned to her owner.
The box was probably customised for Matthew Borden.
The plaque on the top lid indicates that it was formerly on the American Steam Yacht (USS) Sovereign which was built in 1911 by the Charles L. Seabury Company at Morris Heights Shipyards, New York for its owner Matthew Chaloner Durfee Borden. Borden was a textile manufacturer from Fall River, Massachusetts, where he built a large mill. The Sovereign was a high speed yacht of 160 feet which with four funnels and twin screw turbines could achieve a maximum speed of 29 mph. Initially built as a commuting and pleasure vessel the Sovereign was registered for possible National Defence Service but was not actually taken over by the Navy until 1918 when she operated on patrol service in the New York area for the rest of the war and a few months during the post-war period. She was then returned to her owner.
The box was probably customised for Matthew Borden.