Very fine and very rare John Arnold 18K gold pocket chronometer circa 1777.
Fine white enamel dial (early use of subsidiary seconds) with gold beetle and poker hands and large subsidiary seconds.
Plain polish consular case. Wonderful movement with pierced and engraved cock,
diamond cap jewel, helical hairspring and OZ balance. Wonderful example.
John Arnold (1736 - 1799) was an English watchmaker and inventor. He was the first
to design a watch that was both practical and accurate, and also brought the term
"Chronometer" in to use in its modern sense, meaning a precision timekeeper. His
technical advances enabled the quantity production of Marine Chronometers for use on
board ships from around 1782. The basic design of these, with a few modifications
unchanged until the late twentieth century. With regard to his legacy one can say that
both he and Abraham-Louis Breguet largely invented the modern mechanical watch.
