book about jewelers regulators?

[bruce linde]

Anyone know of a book about jewelers regulators? I’ve search the message board and NAWCC publications and haven’t found anything.
thx,
b

 

[Ralph B]

Are you meaning regulator clocks in general ?
Whilst jewelers used them I don't know that makers of such clocks made them specifically for them, rather they made them for anyway who had a need of accurate time keeping. Astronomers and the like.
If you search book sites with the author name "Derek Roberts" and keyword "clocks" you'll find his superb books.
I have 3 of his series about precision clocks.
Not cheap, like everything of value....

Ralph.

 

[bruce linde]

I will check them out… But I am talking about specifically the French and Swiss pinwheel regulators with 13-ish pound lyre pendulums, sweep second hands, and porcelain dials... where the cases are like morbiers (black metal cages) rather than just front and back plates (although they do have plates, but kind of cut down and fit into the cages).

 

[captainclock]

You mean something like this?



I know very well what you are talking about, a local Jeweler/Watch repairman has one in his shop that has been in his family since new
(the shop he runs has been around in the same family since 1861, and he said the clock dated back to the 1870s.)

I would do a google search on Jeweler's Regulators through google books and see what comes up, or even amazon.

 

[bruce linde]

Actually, that’s not what I’m talking about… I’m talking about the ones with sweep second hands and porcelain dials. They typically were mounted in iron cages and made in france and Switzerland. they are a definite thing.

i have five of them and have been power searching for more indoor years now. I think the best I might be able to do is get a whole bunch of people to send me photos of their’s… But that wouldn’t give us any of the historical information I would love to have

 

[captainclock]

Actually, that’s not what I’m talking about… I’m talking about the ones with sweep second hands and porcelain dials. They typically were mounted in iron cages and made in france and Switzerland. they are a definite thing.

i have five of them and have been power searching for more indoor years now. I think the best I might be able to do is get a whole bunch of people to send me photos of their’s… But that wouldn’t give us any of the historical information I would love to have

I know they are but I'm just having a hard time picturing the style of Jeweler's Regulators you're describing because I can only think of the American Style ones which are massive wooden clocks that have sweep second hands like you describe but they mostly have brass dials.

 

[itspcb]

The third of Roberts book deals with 'Precision Clocks from France , Germany, America and Recent Advancements' and deals with the likes of Janvier Berthoud Brequet Riefler, Strasse and Rohde.
Its a great book with wonderful photography, but does not specifically mention 'Jewellers regulator' as a category of clocks in their own right. The term 'regulator' is much misused to my mind.
Can you not borrow it from the NAWCC library? They are expensive, about £90, over here , but worth every penny, in my view.
Peter

 

[bruce linde]

I know they are but I'm just having a hard time picturing the style of Jeweler's Regulators you're describing because I can only think of the American Style ones which are massive wooden clocks that have sweep second hands like you describe but they mostly have brass dials.

these: jewelers regulator clock

particularly the ones with porcelain dials and large brass lyre pendulums that weight about 13lbs.

i have several. the movements were french or swiss, mostly pinwheels. my waterbury has a deadbeat, but i think that movement was made here.

 

[PatH]

Like the one hanging behind the watchmaker in this photo...

 

[bruce linde]

heck, yes.... although i would want to put it where i could watch it all the time.

 

[Thomas Sanguigni]

Hi Pat,
It would be nice to get a better photo you posted of the watchmaker. It sure looks cool. I would like to save a copy.
Thanks!

 

[PatH]

Hi Pat,
It would be nice to get a better photo you posted of the watchmaker. It sure looks cool. I would like to save a copy.
Thanks!

Thomas, I will have to locate the picture and scan again. This image is the front of a RPPC, or Real Photo Postcard, and even the original isn't of the best quality. The image I posted is the highest resolution I have right now, but I will see what I can turn up. The number of clocks and advertising items in the picture is certainly a snapshot of jeweler/watchmaker/optometrist shop of the era.

 

[Thomas Sanguigni]

Thank you Pat!

 

[Ralph]

The spiral bound, probably out of print, Roy Erhardt books had many jewelers regulators pictured with model names/jumbers.

Ralph

 

[Tom McIntyre]

i was reading this thread because of the new book on Irish/American clocks, that we are advertising here.

I would like to offer a different view of French Jeweler's Regulators. Bruce seems to me to be asking about Morbier clocks which are sometimes cased and sometimes just hung on the wall. They feature the sweep second hand and a two part pendulum with a large decorated bob.

To me a French Jewelers Regulator is essentially always a pinwheel escapement with a functional gridiron temperature compensating pendulum. (A lot of examples are seen where the pendulum does not compensate well and may not be compensated at all.)

All of those I am familiar with have standard two plate movements.

I think you may need to search for Morbier and Comtoise to find examples of the clock you are looking for.

 

[bruce linde]

not sure why you think i’m asking about morbiers.... see my posts #3, #5 and #8... and #5 has a link to photos of the ones i like.

 

[Tom McIntyre]

The top and bottom plates you describe with the cage bars to hold the arbors is the distinctive Morbier feature. Since those clocks just barely keep time, I do not think a respectable jeweler would have called one his "regulator."

I had some of the wall mounted ones when I was much younger. I mostly wanted your thoughts about the ad in this forum and posted to get your attention.

OK, I found this one on your site and understand your description better. The cage is a convenient way to mount the movement and not what I thought of when you said cage, although your other remark about small brass should have alerted me.

 

[bruce linde]

I never really look at ads…
You mean the podcast one?

 

[Tom McIntyre]

I was engineering to the one just to the left to the Podcast PSA when reading the third post in this thread and all other threads in this forum or viewing the forum view of this forum.