Beschreibung:

A rare particularly fine late 19th Century Ship's Bell striking Bulkhead Clock, circa 1880, incorporating striking sequence for the 'Dog Watches' , the silvered dial signed TIFFANY & Co. NEW YORK , Roman hour numerals, recessed dial (at XII), yellow metal hands, robust four-pillared frames, fusee and chain to both striking and going trains, platform escapement across the plates (at XII) with three-armed uncut balance with single roller and English lever format escape-wheel and lever, two hammers, one controllable by an assembly sliding along its arbor and which disconnects the lifting arm at each half hour thus preventing the hammer striking the heavy cast white-metal bell which is suspended from the back-plate; contained in a large cylindrical brass case with pierced sides and lacking bezel -- 9½in. (24cm.) diameter With the exception of what are called the First Dog Watch and Last Dog Watch, these occur from 4pm to 8pm and are each of two hours duration, the watches onboard ship are at four hours duration the passage of each half hour of which is marked by a sequence of 'one bell' to 'eight bells'. In former times, before the introduction of mechanical timekeepers, time onboard ship was measured using a '30 minute' sound glass. Starting from the beginning of each watch it was the duty of the helmsman or quartermaster, to reverse this glass every thirty minutes immediately the sand had run through from the top-half to the bottom-half, and on each occassion he did this he would strike on the ship's bell the number of times he had turned the glass, giving double strokes for whole hours followed by a single stroke for the last half hour. 'Dog Watches' are used to alter the sequence of watches during the twenty-four hour period, without them watchkeepers would always be working the same watch sequence. This necessitates a change in the sequence of the usual 'one bell' (4.30pm) to 'four bells' (6pm). The 'Last Dog' begins at 6pm but at 6.30pm, instead of 'five bells' being struck, only 'one bell' is struck and the sequence carries on until at 8pm, 'eight bell' is struck. (1,500-2,000 NOTE: 'Ship's Bell' clocks which only repeat the striking sequence for every four hour period starting from midnight are not uncommon, but it is particularly rare to have a clock which takes care of the 'Dog Watch' sequence. It can be seen that it is obvious that the hands of such a clock have to be set to show the correct half of each day to avoid the 'Dog Watch' sequence to be struck between 4pm and 8pm and NOT between 4am and 8am.