Congreve Clocks

William Congreve, the son of a British General and more famous for his invention of the first Rocket in 1795, patented in 1808 a new Principle for the Measurement of Time using a rolling ball escapement. His original piece was powered by a Cannon ball although later models were driven by springs.

His resulting clock was far from accurate, however the mechanism provides a fascinating and hypnotic spectacle for the viewer. The Sinclair Harding Congreve uniquely has the track mounted on top of the clock. The track is made from brass and can be finished in either Platinum or Gold with a white or black ceramic ball. The ball meanders along the track triggering the mechanism every 15 seconds to gently reverse the ball.

The clock is powered by a spring through a handmade chain, which drives the movement through a Fusee to ensure the clock mechanism sees a constant torque. The movement is 8-days and is wound from the front cleverly lifting the bezel using the winding key to expose the winding Arbor. At the other end of the train a fly absorbs any shock loads at each index and prevents the tray indexing mechanism vibrating.

The single hand shows the hour with a mother of pearl disc detail, the chapter ring is machined and engraved, bead blasted, hand polished then to be either Platinum or Gold plated. Once plated the numerals are carefully waxed filled before being assembled.

The Congreve clock sits on to a Marble base and is housed by a bevelled glass shade which opens from the front for winding.

Height: 20cm Width: 37cm Depth: 20cm

Congreve Clock finished in Platinum on a Black Base.

Glass Shade, the clocks are protected by a bevelled glass shade with an opening door allowing the winding to be carried out without having to remove the shade.

Features

Chain Driven Fusee

Chain driven fusee, 8-day power reserve.

Winding

Turning the dial lifter with the key to expose the winding arbor.

Single Hand

The Congreve clock is a joy to watch, it is not used for it’s time keeping!

Adjustable Feet

To ensure the clock is level, in the middle of the tray using the ball you can level the clock from front to back.

Finishes

All the parts on each clock are hand finished (even the ones you cannot see!). The Brass parts are protected with a thin layer of 23.5 carat Gold or Platinum. The finishes we offer are Gold, combination of Gold and Platinum or Platinum plated.

Our bases are French polished, this technique produces a high gloss surface. We also offer a range of granite bases. Each of our bases can be personalised with an engraved plaque.

Birds-eye Maple