Beschreibung:

A Victorian brass mounted mahogany cased two-day marine chronometer Richard Hornby, Liverpool, circa 1870 The circular four pillar single chain fusee movement with Harrison's maintaining power, Earnshaw type spring detent escapement and split bimetallic balance with wedge-shaped principal compensating weights and helical balance spring, the backplate with blued steel spring set-up ratchet and securing screws for the pillars and backcock, the 3.875 inch circular silvered Roman numeral dial with subsidiary seconds dial beneath signature Rich'd Hornby, Liverpool. No. 298 and WIND DOWN/UP dial to centre, secured by a slender screw-down bezel into a lacquered brass bowl with circular winding hole shutter to underside stamped with H.S. and M.O.D. arrow device, mounted via gimbals into the brass bound mahogany wood three tier box with shaped inset brass corner caps to top tier over front with long octagonal ivory plate engraved with repeat serial number 298, the lower angles with further brass reinforcement straps, 15.5cm (6ins) wide. Richard Hormby is recorded in Mercer, T. Mercer Chronometers, History, Maintenance and Repair as working as a watchmaker and chronometer maker at New Scotland Road from 1811-1869, with a shop at Pool Lane. Other sources note that he was the son of a watchamker born in Liverpool in June 1789 and died in November 1849. His son Gerard continued the business as Richard Hornby & Son from 1851. Admiralty records (Hydrographic Department ledger) indicate that the current lot was taken on charge as a loan on the 8th April 1944 but appears not to have been issued for use on a vessel, and was returned to the owner on the 22nd of May 1945. Condition report disclaimer