Object Description
By the highly regarded maker Andrew Prime.
Andrew Prime, was apprenticed in 1725 and a member of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1736.
The movement is an extremely accomplished piece of engineering with five knopped pillars, double fusee, on original verge escapement with short knife-edge suspended pendulum. It has Dutch rack striking indicating the hours fully on a larger bell and the half hours also fully (the number of strokes being equal to the number of the following hour) on a smaller bell. In addition, it has trip repeat. The profusely engraved backplate and verge cock apron depict floral and scrolling leaf and vine patterns around a prominent signature cartouche: Andr Prime LONDON. The break-arch brass dial has a silvered chapter ring, a signature plaque to the arch, date aperture above the VI, and a false pendulum aperture under the XII. The chapter ring has Roman numerals within a minute ring and outer Arabic five-minute track. The dial centre is well matted and the corner spandrels are of the head and scroll design. The time is indicated by a fine pair of pierced blued steel hands.
The ebonised fruitwood veneered oak case has an inverted bell top surmounted by a brass swinging carrying handle, well-formed and returned top moulding and door edge moulding, convex lambs-ear vertical door corners to all sides, circular-over-rectangular side glazed apertures, fretted front door quadrants backed with red silk, and well-formed elaborated concave mouldings.
The clock case is in excellent original condition and the movement has been totally overhauled.