The elegant mahogany case has a flat top to the hood with canted corners and raised cock bead panels. The trunk has a fully glazed door and canted front edge. The base has an applied moulding with a single plinth and small block feet. The best flame mahogany veneer is used throughout including the backboard, which has an engraved and silvered beat plaque.

The silvered brass round 11" engraved dial has typical observatory layout with Arabic numerals. It is signed 'Arnold & Dent, 84 Strand, London, No. 402’ and has slender blued steel hands. At some time in the past part of the motion work was changed and a small 12 hour chapter ring was applied to the dial covering the 24 hour ring. We have removed and retained this later chapter ring and restored the motion work to its original configuration.

The substantial eight day movement has a number of exceptional detailings. Each of the pillar washers are numbered to coincide with the number stamped by each pillar on the frontplate. The finely cut and polished pinions are located on their arbors via tapers which is most unusual. It has five well turned tapered pillars and the large arched plates are signed ‘Arnold & Dent 402.’ It has deadbeat escapement with jewelled pallets and Harrison’s maintaining power. The wheel work is incredibly fine and has six crossings with high count pinions. It has a long steel crutch with beat adjustment and an improved mercury compensated pendulum to Dent’s own design. The cast iron jar has an engraved and calibrated top and a tapered pointer to the base.

The brass covered weight falls slightly to one side through the veneered base board and has a fine pulley with six crossings.

This is one of the nicest regulators we have had for many years.

Height: 6' 2¾" (190 cm.)

Price band: F click here.

Dent was not only a fine craftsman, but also had a keen business sense. Edward John Dent was born in 1790 and was apprenticed to his grandfather. By 1814 he was becoming well known and was employed between 1815-1829 by a number of well known firms including Vulliamy, Barraud and McCabe. He was admitted to the Clockmakers’ Company in 1830 and was given the Freedom of the City of London in 1831.

The partnership produced a number of fine clocks and they made substantial efforts to increase their share of the chronometer market. By the mid 1830s Arnold & Dent had established an excellent relationship with the Royal Observatory and in particular the astronomer Sir George Biddle Airy. In 1836 Dent took out a Patent for a balance spring and it is about this time they started to use cast iron jars for their mercury compensated pendulums.