French brass marine deck chronometer watch in a box Circa 1827

Brass marine chronometer with eccentric dial
–
A very fine and very rare French, mahogany and brass cased two day marine chronometer with eccentric dial and Z balance, circa 1827. Brass bowl with screwed glazed bezel and gimballed in a three body solid mahogany box with the glazed panel in the top under a spring loaded hinged lid, the lid with lozenge shaped numbered brass plaque, brass fittings and steel fastening screws, hinged handles, special gimbal lock operated by a lever which both locks the gimbal and lifts the bowl. Matte silvered dial, inscribed Dépôt De La Marine, eccentric, the hour and minute dial with radial Roman numerals and outer dot minute markers, Arabic ten minute numerals, subsidiary seconds below. Blued steel spade hands.

A brass movement, one barrel with fusee and chain, Harrison’s maintaining power, train under the dial, a navette shaped platform with Earnshaw’s spring detent escapement mounted in front of the barrels, jewelled impulse pallet, spring footed detent, bi metallic compensation balance, four mean time adjustment nuts, four temperature screws, the upper pivot with parachute, jewelled escapement, balance with diamond end stone, special alloy helical balance spring without terminal curves, the lower stud adjustable horizontally and vertically, balance locking slide accessed from beneath the bowl.
Dial signed and numbered, case numbered.
–
Diameter: 98 mm
–
Dimensions box: 20.5 x 18 x 18 cm
–
Signed: Breguet et Fils
–
Envoyée a Ducom by Breguet et Fils, Horloge Marine à un Barillet, Petit Modèle, sold to Monsieur Ducom on August 23, 1827, for 2,400 Francs.
History: This chronometer was first sold to Monsieur Ducom on 23 August 1827, Ducom was Breguet’s principal agent in the Bordeaux region. The Breguet archives show that this chronometer was exchanged for Breguet on May 30, 1840, by Captain de Vanauld of the ship L.Irma. At this time the chronometer was fully cleaned and overhauled before being sold to the Ministère de la Marine on March 24, 1845, for 2,400 Francs. The Breguet workbooks show that the escapement was made by Clavey and the timing done by Couet.