82,600 CHF
“Clifford Magnetic Escapement” Hamilton, “Railway Special”, No. C390218. Made in the 1940s and one of only two known examples to be fitted with a prototype Clifford magnetic escapement, by the firm of Horstmann Clifford Magnetics Ltd., of Bath, England, circa 1950. Fine and exceptionally rare, keyless, 10K gold-filled pocket watch with patent Montgomery dial and special escapement, with the original Hamilton box and guarantee. Accompanied by a box and certificate. Three-body, “bassine et filets”, screwed-down back and bezel with reeded and dot decoration, large bow. White enamel “Montgomery”, with large Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions, and individual Arabic minute numerals, subsidiary seconds. Blued steel “Spade” hands. 18’’’, rhodium plated, “fausses-côtes” decoration, now fitted with a Clifford magnetic escapement with a “Mumetal” pierced escape wheel and spring-blade detent -type resonator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 51 mm. Notes This fascinating watch is one of only two known Hamilton watches that were sent by The Hamilton Watch Company to Horstmann Clifford Magnetics Ltd in Bath, England, for modification. The Clifford Magnetic Escapement Invented by Cecil F. Clifford, BSC, FBHI, in 1938 and was experimented upon during World War II with the aim of producing a silent time bomb for naval use. The theory being that as the escapement does not “tick” it would be undetected by sonar. The escapement consists of a flat pierced sinusoidal escape-wheel ma
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2006-04-02