English silver lever with Bonniksen 52½ minute carrousel Circa 1918

Silver, gold pocket watch with centre seconds
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A very fine and rare Swiss, sterling silver and 18 Carat yellow gold, anti magnetic, centre seconds, keyless pocket chronometer, circa 1918. With Bonniksen patented carrousel regulator. Ebauche made by Bahne Bonniksen finished by S. Smith & Son. A solid, polished case, 18 Carat gold hinge and pendant, silver hinged cuvette. White enamel dial with radial Roman numerals, outer minute and 1/5th seconds track. Blued steel spade hands.
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A frosted gilt movement, half plate, 21 jewels, gold counterpoised lateral lever escapement, gold pallet fork, club tooth escape wheel, cut bi metallic compensation balance, palladium Breguet balance spring with Phillips terminal curve, diamond endstone, all mounted on Bonniksen 52 minute carrousel platform. Dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Signed: S. Smith & Son  London
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This watch comes from a small series of precision watches that S. Smith & Son made at the beginning of the 20th century. Many of which were submitted to the Kew Observatory trials, his No. 192- 256 won 11th place in 1915. 192-233, was classified as a deck watch and took part in the 1918 trial. The movement of the present watch would have been supplied by Bonniksen and, then finished and adjusted by S. Smith & Son most likely for entry into the Observatory trials. Bahne Bonniksen, (1859-1935) is listed as working at 16 Norfolk St., Spoon End, Coventry. Bonniksen was born in Denmark and completed his horological apprenticeship under T. D. Wright in London.
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Wright was later appointed lecturer at the Northampton Polytechnic, London for his work on the theory of chronometer manufacture. After completing his apprenticeship Bonniksen moved to Coventry where he set up his workshops. In 1893 Bonniksen made an application to the British Patent Office for his Karrusel regulator, in November of the same year he was granted Patent No.21421 for this invention. At the height of production, watches with his regulator were made under licence by several watchmakers in Coventry and no less than 500 watches per year with Bonniksen carrousel regulators were submitted to the Kew Observatory in Teddington for certification. Otto Sverdrup, captain of the Fram and legendary Arctic explorer said of the Bonniksen Karrusel upon returning from his expedition to Greenland (1898- 1902) that the Karrusel in question has followed me on all sledge expeditions during these four years, and it has always proved to be one of the best pocket chronometers on board.
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Bonniksen went on to become a Horological Instructor at the University of Coventry, and his patent and workshops were sold to the Rotherham watch company. S. Smith & Son The leading London firm for high quality and complicated watches at the end of the 19th century and during the opening decades of the 20th, it was founded by Samuel Smith, jeweller and watchmaker, c. 1851. Alongside the wide range of civilian watches and clocks, Smith & Son also made chronometers which performed well and so the firm became a supplier to the Admiralty. Under the guidance of Herbert S.A. Smith, the firm developed into a large manufacturing company with its own research laboratories, the family succession being continued a further generation by Sir Alan Herbert Smith, with the company going on to make automobile and aircraft instruments alongside clocks and watches.