Rare English deck chronometer with 56h power reserve Circa 1845

Deck chronometer in mahogany box by Edward John Dent
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A fine English ship’s chronometer with a 56-hour power reserve display, circa 1845. The watch comes in a mahogany deck box. It features a silver-plated dial with Roman radial hours, an outer minutes track, a subsidiary dial for the seconds, a power reserve indicator, and spade hands. The brass movement includes a chain and fusee, spring detent escapement based on Thomas Earnshaw, and a bimetallic chronometer balance with two screws and two trapezoidal weights.
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Dimensions box: 160 x 160 x 160 mm
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Signed: EJ Dent, London CHRONOMETER MAKER TO THE QUEEN
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This marine chronometer is a classic English timepiece that was crafted in the workshop of the renowned Edward John Dent. It was made when he had separated from John Roger Arnold and was working at 82 Strand in London. The case, dial, and brass case are all numbered 1892.
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Edward John Dent was born on August 19th, 1790, in London and died on March 8th, 1853 in London. Initially, he worked as a tallow chandler before switching to watchmaking. From 1815 to 1829, he worked for the Vulliamys and the Barrauds. In 1830, Edward John partnered with John Roger Arnold. In 1840, he opened his workshop at 33 Cockspur Street, London. The company was keen on technological innovation and created precision chronometers to navigate the Royal Navy, among other things. Dent played a crucial role in Victorian horological history by producing the Standard Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. This clock maintained ‘Greenwich Mean Time,’ the time to which all others in the British Empire were referred (better known today as G.M.T.) and continued to do so until an electronic clock replaced it in 1946. Dent also manufactured the most well-known clock in the world, the Great Clock, commonly known as Big Ben, for the Houses of Parliament. His step-sons Frederick and Richard, who took on his name, succeeded him. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the company supplied marine chronometers and watches to the Royal Navy and received Royal Warrants. It remained in business until recently at 41 Pall Mall, London, as E. Dent & Co. Ltd.