Karrusel” Birch & Gaydon

“Karrusel” Birch & Gaydon, Makers to the Admiralty, 153 Fenchurch St. London, No. 2555. Ebauche by Bahne Bonniksen. London hallmarks for 1904-1905. Very fine and rare, keyless, half-hunting cased 18K yellow gold pocket chronometer with 52-minute Bonniksen patented Karrusel regulator. Four-body, "bassine et filets", solid, polished, cover with central aperture with black enamel radial Roman numerals and outer minute track, back with engraved monogram “MLB”. White enamel with radial Roman numerals, outer minute track. Gold "double-spade" hands. Notes The movement of the present watch would have been supplied by Bonniksen and then finished and adjusted by Birch & Gaydon. Bahne Bonniksen, (1859-1935) is listed as working at 16 Norfolk St., Spoon End, Coventry. Bonniksen was born in Denmark and completed his horological apprenticeship under T. D. Wright in London, Wright was later appointed lecturer at the Northampton Polytechnic, London, for his work on the theory of chronometer manufacture. After completing his apprenticeship Bonniksen moved to Coventry where he set up his workshops. In 1893 Bonniksen made an application to the British Patent Office for his Karrusel regulator. In November of the same year he was granted Patent No. 21421 for this invention. At the height of production, several watchmakers in Coventry made watches with his regulator under licence and no less than 500 watches per year with Bonniksen Karrusel regulators were submitted to the Kew Observator