Pendant watch: Museum-quality, large Renaissance pendant watch with stackfreed, striking mechanism and sundial, South German, c. 1580

292-4311  Pendant watch: Museum-quality, large Renaissance pendant watch with stackfreed, striking mechanism and sundial, South German, c. 1580

Ca. 90 × 60 mm, ca. 251 g, fire-gilt brass, the entire case is pierced. The oval bell is situated in the base. The reverse of the case depicts a mythological scene: beneath a canopy stands the Argonaut Jason with the Golden Fleece, surrounded by typical Renaissance foliage and two greyhounds. The lid is adorned with floral and figurative scenes: at the bottom are two angels blowing trumpets, above them are monkeys, followed by Renaissance-style dolphins, and the design is crowned at the top by an angel with outstretched arms. A further small lid, also pierced, is fitted in the centre (lid replaced at a later date); when opened, a horizontal sundial with a compass is visible (the compass is no longer original), and a thread is attached to the lid to cast a shadow. The compass features a silver plate with an engraved eight-part wind rose. This early timepiece is a verge movement with an alarm mechanism without a fusee (various restorations). The stackfreed is used to balance the spring force. The florally decorated spindle clasp, made of gilt brass, is secured with a pin. The two-legged iron escapement (without a hairspring) is limited in its movement by a regulating lever with two escape pins made of pig bristles. The dial, made of fire-gilt brass, features two hour scales for 1 to 12 o’clock and 13 to 24 o’clock. The border is engraved with deer and winged fantasy figures, as well as floral scenes. The rotatable silver alarm disc is mounted in the centre. The hands are made of iron. The enclosed sundial made it possible, under suitable conditions, to regulate the mechanical gear-driven clock and reset it correctly. The clock is exceptionally rare and comes from a significant German collection. Only a few comparable pieces are known, which have already fetched collector’s prices at auctions: e.g. (https://www.cortrie.de/go/Dd1).