Beschreibung:

A George V oak cased G.P.O. ‘type 16’ electromagnetic master timepiece Silent Electric Clock Company, London, circa 1915 The movement with cast-iron bed inscribed in relief SECCo fitted with pendulum suspension block and pivot for the crutch assembly incorporating shunt for the Hipp-toggle escapement and switch armature for the electromagnetic coil beneath, the right hand side with the Hipp-toggle escapewheel pivoted between shaped brass plates incorporating an additional relay coil with related armatures and switches, the whole applied to the case backboard over pendulum bob alignment post and three sets of electrical connections labelled PENDULUM BATTERY, DIAL’S BATTERY and DIALS within box surround with hinged front incorporating slave dial with brass electromagnetic coil driven mechanism stamped PATENT, 5758-05, 9039-11 and 3632 to frontplate, the exterior with 4.5 inch circular white painted Roman numeral dial inscribed with G.V.R. monogram over initials G.P.O. to centre behind fixed glazed brass bezel over rectangular glazed panel and applied brass plaque inscribed SILENT ELECTRIC CLOCK Co., 192, GOSWELL RD., LONDON E.C. to lower rail, (lacking pendulum), 72.5cm (28.5ins) high. The design of the current lot was devised by George Bennett Bowell of the Silent Electric Clock Company in around 1900 and was adopted for use by the G.P.O. from around 1910 in competition with the Magneta system of impulse generators already in use in some establishments. However, over time, the latter was phased-out due to the greater flexibility offered by the Hipp-toggle design of the Silent Electric Clock due to the increased number of slave dials that could made to operate from a single Master timepiece. Due to receiving a time-pulse at 10 am every morning the Silent Electric System of Hipp-toggle timepieces could reliably maintain an accuracy of around 3-4 seconds a day. Most G.P.O. establishments were supplied with ‘type 12’ timepieces whilst the ‘type 16’ was only installed in relatively few postal buildings hence the latter is the rarer model of the two. In 1917 Joseph Molden took-over Magneta before acquiring the Silent Electric Clock Company in the early 1920’s. By 1925 he had developed a new version (the ‘type 36’) based upon the Silent ‘type 12’ design which also rendered the ‘type 16’ obsolete. Condition report disclaimer