Thanks!
The apparent hand forged brass bell is to me especially interesting?
Bell "Smithing" from what I have learned was done by casting a mixture of brases tins and silver to achieve a correct tone when struck.
The patina on the underside of thr bell seems to show some age.
It looks like the complete clock was takrn apart and cleaned or buffed with a wire wheel on most surfaces? Traces of old black paint are noticible in some areas like under the bell straps? The straps and the balance wheel dove joints also are interesting....
The balance wheel looks to be newly fabricated using some kind of three part lamination to make up the wheel mass? Who would spend this much time and efforts including the forged bell process?
This clock has had my interest in knowing more on it since I aquired it in 4014.

Please take your time if you need.
Let me know what the thoughts on the weights are also if you would also.
Thanks again.
Rusty.

Cheers Rusty!

It's my pleasure to help you with this and I hope I am able to shed some light on the mystery... You asked me to look a little more closely at the weights, can you upload an image of them for me? I've got them in bits and pieces, but I'd like to see them specifically.

Sincerely,

Erin-Marie

Additional pictures of the screws also included. Each screw is a different length, diameter thread depth and thread pitch? I recorded each location of all the screws on the clock and most have a separate location that fits and maches the threaded hole it belongs in. Are these recent or old? I can not imegine the time it took to make and hand cut threads like this?
The complete clock when I received it was coated in a green grease and heavy oil of some kind. I should not have thrown the oil soaked linens away when I think about it. Very loose knit cloth of some kind.
This has been a real rabbit hole for me over the years,
Even Brian Looms told me this is beyond his expertise and is not English of make a few years back when he also reviewed the clock.

Thanks again!
Rusty.

I would like to add another $100 dolor's for your time on this. Let me know how to go about this and I will get it done later today when I get back in the office!
Thanks Erin,

Rusty.

Erin,
Your and everyone's time at Mearto is valuable to me so please let me know how to add another $100.00 for your apreciated time to reaserch this clock for me. Let me know and I will get this over! I am also interested on what you can find on the screws and the bell also?
Thanks for your time on this. I have been collecting antiques for 35 years and have over forty rare clocks as a form of investment also so I am sure we can move forward with future items to evaluate.
Rusty.

Dear Rusty,

Thank you so much, but it's my pleasure to assist you. Lets more through this evaluation together and then we can 'take it from there'. I'm happy to work with you you clearly have eclectic but refined tastes to pick this clock out. I'm composing a longer response to you right now, I only hope ot equals the number of images you have uploaded.

Kindest Regards,

Erin-Marie

Thanks Erin,
In this case the more you look the more a person see's on this one! A few pictures of my others clocks and antiques to give some idea of my wife's and my collection over the years. My wife and I would get first pick from shipping containers from Europe received by local very high quality Antique stores like the no longer in business "Georges Second" in Chapman Ca.
Thanks!

Rusty.

Dear Rusty,

Your clock is a beautiful but complicated beast because it is a carefully composed marriage piece… and you are right, my response just grows longer because the more I look at it the more there is to chat about.
So… Here is what I think.. Sometime in the 1800s, likely the late 1800s, a battered, original, late 17th century lantern clock made its way to a proper clock maker who took it upon themselves to bring it back to function and form. The engraved brass case and the dial are replacements, the brass case depicts the English Tudor rose in the center, which doesn’t quite fit the German attribution of the clock, perhaps the repairer was English or Anglo Dutch. Regarding the design of the brass housing, were it a 16th – 18th century piece, I’d expect a taller crest that ‘fits’ the shape of the clock a little better, more detail to the engraving, less symmetry and more naturalism like this piece from the Victoria & Albert Museum’s archive: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O375795/clock-wagner-michael/

Regarding the dial, most of the 17th century dials have these lovely ‘cross’ engravings between the hours, later examples do not. Here’s another example from the Victoria & Albert Museum: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O66723/clock-goodwin-william/

I agree with you that the entire beast seems to have been fully disassembled and cleaned, because of this, it’s not always easy to decipher which pieces are the replacements as all maintain the same patina. That said, there’s many pieces which appear to be original to the clock for example: the bell straps, bell, some of the gears, awesome square head screws, likely the weights and possibly the hand-forged S-hooks and O-rings.
That said, there are some pieces of the movement which look like they were machined specifically as replacement pieces, such as the balance wheel you mentioned.
You mentioned Erhard Liechti, but it’s hard for me to ‘see’ him in this piece other than some of the iron support pieces. While there are few examples on the market most seem to be more ornate and more skeletal... again I point to one of my favorite references the V&A: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O325823/clock-none/
I could keep going and going but let me stop here, catch my breath and get your response to all of this. While I know that you are more interested in breaking down the history, I have to assign a current auction value to this piece for Mearto’s records and chose to compare it to other carriage clocks which have been ‘married’ are ranging on average between $700USD and $1000USD depending on the day (although there are a couple of results in the $250USD to $500USD range too, this isn’t the norm).
By the way, your collection is just beautiful, the manner you have displayed your clocks in the dining room is elegant as is that cranberry glass claret jug on the sideboard... and that sideboard is smashing! In the foyer, I’m smitten by the diminutive grandmother clock and the early prototype vacuum by the stairs (haha). I am wondering if you keep them all wound or only when you are ready for company to depart?

Kindest Regards and continuing conversation.

Erin-Marie

Thank you sooo much!
I do keep them all wound (over 45 unique clocks) and we rarely do have company as I have found that you can not have both!
I am sure I will be needing your services again soon.
Thanks!

you are quite welcome, I am happy to assist you! I am a fan of the complicated and unusual inquiries that require research.

Should you like to add a bonus in the way of a nice note about my service or monetary tip you can always reach out to Mr. Hallas, the site administrator at: [email protected]

Cheers!

Erin-Marie