Object Description
A Fine Two Day Marine Chronometer By Whyte, Thompson & Co, Glasgow & South Shields
Two day marine chromometer by Whyte, Thompson & Co housed in a beautiful three tier mahogany brass bound box with inset carrying handles to the sides, plaque to the front signed ‘Whyte, Thompson & Co, Glasgow & South Shields No. 5710’ below a brass push button knob opening to a third tier. The box has a wonderful patina and retains it’s original solid brass Tipsy key.
The movement is housed within a gimballed brass surround.
The high quality 56 hour chain fusee movement has full brass plates joined by four ringed pillars, an Earnshaw-type sprung detent escapement with maintaining power, split bi-metallic balance and cylindrical shaped temperature compensation weights, polished steel helical balance and faceted endstone.
The silvered dial signed ‘Whyte, Thompson & Co, makers to the admiralty, Glasgow and South Shields’ with subsidiary dial below XII for ‘state of wind’ and subsidiary seconds dial above the VI, original ‘blued’ steel hands.
James Whyte was the successor to David heron, the founder of the firm later to become James Whyte & Co, Glasgow, then Whyte, Thompson & Co, Glasgow and South Shields. The company merged operations with a number of different entities, including Duncan McGregor & Co, where they sold sextants and opened branches in lucrative shipping areas. The Whyte firm was associated with Lord Kelvin and later Bottomly & Baird establishing branches in London, Montreal, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Boston and New York. All which indicate that they were a major force in navigation instruments. A sextant made by this firm resides at Greenwich. James Whyte gained the highest award in Edinburgh in 1886 and a silver medal award in the same year. Thompson joined Whyte in 1891, then left to join Christie Wilson. He was related to Lord Kelvin and remained active until he was 90. Whyte also patented a magnetic binnacle.