A rare and visually striking German mechanical world-time di...
A rare and visually striking German mechanical world-time display clock, modelled as a lighthouse, attributable to Junghans, Schramberg, circa 1905, the clock is constructed principally from painted and patinated metal, the tapering lighthouse tower rising from a broad circular base and incorporating a lower railed gallery, set into the front of the tower is the principal square clock dial, with Arabic numerals, above which the lighthouse terminates in a second gallery and cylindrical lantern structure, the most distinctive feature is the elaborate rotating world-time assembly above the lighthouse - eight circular subsidiary dials carried on spring-form radial arms around a central hub, the dials are individually named for international cities, including San Francisco, Peking, New York, Greenwich, St Petersburg, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid, with the hands set to indicate the corresponding local times, the clockwork movement is housed within the lighthouse body and is accessible through an opening to the rear. the mechanism incorporates a geared drive extending upwards to the world-time assembly, the present example retains its pendulum rod, although the pendulum bob is absent, when the escapement is manually actuated, the movement has been observed to tick, which indicates that the escapement and at least part of the going train remain active, height 570 mm; maximum width 280 mm; base diameter 240 mm.* Literature: George Glazer Gallery records an identical 23-inch example as a German world-time lighthouse clock attributed to Junghans, circa 1900, describing the same eight-arm rotating dial assembly and lighthouse construction, more significantly, a German auction catalogue from Galerie & Auktionshaus Peter Klöter describes an essentially identical object specifically as a 'Junghans Schaufenster-Uhr, Leuchtturm mit Weltzeitangaben', circa 1905, with eight world-city dials, hook escapement and suspended pendulum.
[ translate ]A rare and visually striking German mechanical world-time display clock, modelled as a lighthouse, attributable to Junghans, Schramberg, circa 1905, the clock is constructed principally from painted and patinated metal, the tapering lighthouse tower rising from a broad circular base and incorporating a lower railed gallery, set into the front of the tower is the principal square clock dial, with Arabic numerals, above which the lighthouse terminates in a second gallery and cylindrical lantern structure, the most distinctive feature is the elaborate rotating world-time assembly above the lighthouse - eight circular subsidiary dials carried on spring-form radial arms around a central hub, the dials are individually named for international cities, including San Francisco, Peking, New York, Greenwich, St Petersburg, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid, with the hands set to indicate the corresponding local times, the clockwork movement is housed within the lighthouse body and is accessible through an opening to the rear. the mechanism incorporates a geared drive extending upwards to the world-time assembly, the present example retains its pendulum rod, although the pendulum bob is absent, when the escapement is manually actuated, the movement has been observed to tick, which indicates that the escapement and at least part of the going train remain active, height 570 mm; maximum width 280 mm; base diameter 240 mm.* Literature: George Glazer Gallery records an identical 23-inch example as a German world-time lighthouse clock attributed to Junghans, circa 1900, describing the same eight-arm rotating dial assembly and lighthouse construction, more significantly, a German auction catalogue from Galerie & Auktionshaus Peter Klöter describes an essentially identical object specifically as a 'Junghans Schaufenster-Uhr, Leuchtturm mit Weltzeitangaben', circa 1905, with eight world-city dials, hook escapement and suspended pendulum.
[ translate ]
