German brass Grande Sonnerie repeater with alarm 1770

Extremely rare carriage clock by Arvied Hielckert
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An important and highly complicated Potsdam carriage clock with Grande Sonnerie, repeater, and alarm, circa 1770.
The fire-gilded double case is made of gilt brass, leather cover on the back, sound openings for the bell, an inner case on the back with four winding openings for the movement and three complications. Enamel dial with Arabic radial hours, outer minutes track, and presumably original hands. Highly complicated spindle mechanism with three decorated barrels, flat movement signed Arvied Hielckert Potsdam No.440, screwed-on plate decoration depicting various mythical creatures and flowers, signed Schmidt London, the extremely splendid and very rare factory decoration is reminiscent of well-known Friedberger and Augsburg clocks of that time, which were also sold with London signatures.
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Diameter: 175 mm
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Weight: 2700 g
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Signed: Arvied Hielckert Potsdam
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The Schmidt signature is either a seller’s signature in London, an owner’s engraving, or a signature that should give the impression that the watch was made in London, as was common with many Friedberger watches. This rarity is, of course, German, by Arvied Hielckert in Potsdam. Arvied Hielckert, born in Copenhagen, worked in Potsdam / Berlin in the second half of the 18th century and was appointed old master of the office there in 1790. This clock is one of the most important German carriage clocks preserved today, especially due to its size and complicated work.–
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Grande sonnerie
Watch that strikes the hours and quarters in passing and repeats the hour at each quarter.
The hour and quarter strikes can be repeated on demand.
Certain Grande Sonnerie mechanisms are combined with a minute-repeater which repeats hours, quarters and minutes on demand.