WORLDWIDE Chapter 149 Message Board

omexa reborn · Chapter Member

Hi, this is the strangest Cylinder escapement that I have seen, the top parts are taller and a different shape to any I have seen before. George Graham perfected the Cylinder escapement in 1725. He perfected the cylinder escapement designed by Tompion, which had been patented by Edward Barlow, William Houghton, and Tompion in 1695 This escapement is very different; my friend who is one of the best Watchmakers in the UK has never seen one like it and proposed that maybe it was made by a European Watchmaker. I think a possibility is it was made by a Huguenot Watchmaker. Huguenots were French Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries that followed the teachings of theologian John Calvin. Persecuted by the French Catholic government during a violent period, Huguenots fled the country in the 17th century, creating Huguenot settlements all over Europe, in the United States and Africa.
This is from a friend of many years Oliver, who is pretty good at analysing movements. â€œDear Ray,

Congratulations on finding such an early cylinder movement! In a way the non-original dial is a proof of its high quality; that kind of chapter-ring, with exceptionally tall and narrow characters, scarcely existed (I think) before the 1830s, so that when this movement was modified it was already a hundred years old (possibly even more) and was evidently maintaining itself, despite its age, as a useful tool in competition with the well-established English lever.

I wonder if the different appearance of the escape-wheel is connected with the fact that the House movement has (if I am not mistaken) a reverse fusee. In the Graham example I can see the fourth wheel to the right of the escape-wheel pinion; that wheel has to pass above the centre-wheel and is therefore raised a little way clear of the dial-plate. The balance-potence is directly above the fourth wheel and has had to be made relatively shallow in order to clear it, and this in turn has meant that the cylinder has to be mounted quite high up on the balance-staff. In the House, by contrast, the fourth wheel is to the *left* of the escape-wheel, and as a result the latter has nothing beneath it except the centre-wheel; thus the balance-potence could be made deeper, the balance-staff could be longer, and so the maker had more of a free hand as to the proportions of the escape-wheel and where he positioned it on its arbor. â€“ I cannot say whether there is any significance in the fact that the locking-teeth on the House escape-wheel are shorter and thicker than the equivalents on the Graham and Mudge/Dutton examples; perhaps, as the cylinder was still relatively new and not yet standardised, House or his escapement-maker simply interpreted the Graham principle in his own way without taking any measurements or attempting a precise copy.â€ I am very pleased with myself purchasing this movement; I had to fight off 12 other bidders. Almost all photos are compliments of Horologer. Regards Ray

omexa reborn · Chapter Member

Escapement Wheel in the D, House further away from top Plate than the Graham movement.

omexa reborn · Chapter Member

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omexa reborn · Chapter Member

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omexa reborn · Chapter Member

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omexa reborn · Chapter Member

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omexa reborn · Chapter Member

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omexa reborn · Chapter Member

George Graham-Mudge & Dutton escape Wheel to show the difference in the D, House movement.

Jon · Chapter President

A terrific find, Ray, and great photos.

Isn't it fun to discover new rarities--even better to secure them!

Congrats!

Jon

interstatetime · Chapter Member

As Jon said, great photos and a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing this amazing watch.