John Arnold & Son eight-day marine chronometer No. 56
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
early 19th century
This eight-day marine chronometer is catalogued by Bonhams as made by John Arnold & Son, London, bearing number 56. The source reports the instrument was one of four timekeepers carried aboard HMS Providence in 1794 for an astronomical Pacific expedition led by Commander William Robert Broughton.
It was transferred to the Governor of Monterey in 1796 and later documented in the 1804 will of Spanish Fleet Commander D. Thomas de Ugarte, who bequeathed it to King Fernando VII. Housed in a wooden box with brass gimbal suspension, the chronometer features a circular silvered dial with Roman numerals and an auxiliary register.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Box marine chronometer
- Case Width
- 19.5 cm wide
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Expedition Record
- Taken aboard HMS Providence in 1794
- Maker and Location
- John Arnold & Son, London
- Maker / attribution
- John Arnold & Son
- Transfer in Monterey
- Delivered to Don Diego Barica on June 15, 1796
- Spanish Royal Bequest
- Bequeathed by D. Thomas de Ugarte to King Fernando VII of Spain
Design
- Visible features
- • Dovetailed wooden case with open top lid showing a circular recess on the inner underside • Brass gimbal ring with pivot mounts and locking arm • Silvered dial with Roman numeral hour markers, minutes outer track, and lower subsidiary register • Keyhole on the front face of the wooden box and brass latch fittings along the top rim
- Case and Gimbal Construction
- The chronometer is housed in a dovetailed wooden case recorded as 19.5 cm wide. Direct observation shows an open top lid featuring a circular clearance recess on its inner underside, with keyhole and brass latch fittings visible along the front face and upper rim. The instrument is mounted in a brass gimbal ring fitted with lateral pivot mounts and a locking arm designed to secure the gimbal suspension.
- Identity and Documented Provenance
- Catalogued by Bonhams as a rare early 19th century eight-day marine chronometer by John Arnold & Son, London, bearing number 56, the instrument is documented in expedition journals and wills. The source records that it was one of four precision timekeepers taken aboard HMS Providence in 1794 for an astronomical survey of the northern Pacific led by Commander William Robert Broughton. According to a journal kept by John Crosby, late of the Royal Observatory, chronometer No. 56 was delivered to the Governor of Monterey, Don Diego Barica, on June 15, 1796. The 1804 will of Spanish Fleet Commander D. Thomas de Ugarte, written in Montevideo, records the instrument as one of his most treasured possessions and notes that he bequeathed his chronometer to King Fernando VII of Spain. Under royal direction, the auction house reports that it saw service in the Spanish Navy until at least the 1830s.
- Dial Presentation and Physical Alterations
- Observations confirm a circular silvered dial displaying Roman numeral hour markers, an outer minutes track, and a lower subsidiary register. Internal mechanical components, including the escapement and train wheels, are not described in the cataloguing or shown in the lot imagery. Bonhams notes several physical points concerning condition that suggest the chronometer spent time in France during the 19th century, specifically pointing out that the long hinge on the case and the silvering of the dial are typically French.
Identification
- Serial number
- 56
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Internal escapement and mechanical components are not depicted or detailed in the cataloguing
- Research required: Source notes the silvering of the dial and long hinge are typically French, indicating later nineteenth-century intervention