1784820325Code 8567 Nautical ChronometerElgin National Watch Co. Father Time 40-hour hand-wound nautical chronometer, dating from 1918-1920. This highly accurate timepiece was used to compare the time with the main chronometer while underway.
Designed specifically as a deck clock for maritime navigation and housed in its original gimbaled mahogany case.
Good condition, fully functional.
Case dimensions: 13 x 13 x 13.2 cm – 5.1 x 5.1 x 5.2 in.
To set the time on the Father Time model, you must follow a procedure using a safety lever designed to prevent accidental movement of the hands. Carefully unscrew the front brass bezel with the glass covering the dial. A small metal lever protrudes along the edge of the dial at 2 o'clock. Gently pull it outward with your fingernail. Once the lever is pulled out, the mechanism enters setting mode, allowing you to rotate the winding crown at 12 o'clock to move the hands and set the desired time. Finally, once the setting is complete, it is essential to push the lever inward, returning it to its original position, and carefully screw the bezel with the glass back onto the watch case.
The finely decorated movement features the gold engraving "Father Time," "ELGIN, ILL. U.S.A.," the serial number 26325150, and the indication "21 JEWELS" (21 jewels), as well as the specification "ADJUSTED 5 POSITIONS," testifying to a precision adjustment that exceeded the standards of the time. The jewels are mounted on screw-secured gold chatons, and the balance wheel with compensation screws is equipped with a terminal-curved hairspring to ensure isochronism.
The dial, made of high-visibility white enamel, features Roman numeral hour markers, an outer graduated Arabic minute track, and the central inscription "ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH CO."
At 12 o'clock is the winding bezel and the 40-hour power reserve subdial, marked "UP" and graduated from 0 to 40 to allow for an instant reading of the remaining power reserve. The running seconds subdial is located at 6 o'clock.
The burnished steel hands contrast with the light background for maximum readability in all lighting conditions.
The watch movement is housed in a cylindrical turned brass case, suspended within a brass gimbal ring. It can be locked with a lateral lever, allowing the movement to remain perfectly horizontal.
The clock is housed in a three-piece, marine-grade mahogany case with a clear glass top cover for quick reference, an exterior brass plate engraved "ELGIN," and, inside the case, the historic shipyard plate "SOUTHWEST INSTRUMENT COMPANY - SHIPS INSTRUMENTS, SOLD AND REPAIRED - CLOCKS, SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA" with the service inventory number 114719.
The story of the Elgin National Watch Company began in Chicago in 1864, when a group of entrepreneurs and politicians led by former mayor Benjamin Wright Raymond and master watchmaker John C. Adams founded the National Watch Company. The city of Elgin, Illinois, donated approximately thirty-five acres of land to encourage the new business, giving rise to what would become one of the largest industrial complexes in the world. In 1867, the first mechanical movement was completed, named "B.W. Raymond" in honor of the founder. Since the watches it produced were commonly identified with their city of origin, the company officially changed its name to Elgin National Watch Company in 1874. Elgin built its success on innovation in the production process and the interchangeability of components, specializing in the creation of reliable watches that were affordable even for the working class. In 1910, the manufacturer even opened its own astronomical observatory to perfectly synchronize the factory equipment through stargazing. During World War II, the company converted its entire civilian production to support the American war effort, producing precision chronometers, military watches, fuses, and aeronautical instruments. After the war, the company introduced important innovations such as the DuraPower stainless steel spring made of Elgiloy alloy and the DuraBalance balance system, but growing competition from Swiss watches and low-cost movements gradually compromised the economic viability of the US plant. The historic and gigantic Elgin plant was finally closed in 1964 and then demolished in 1966, while American production ceased entirely in 1968.
