VR-527 Open-escapement Month Duration Timepiece by Suchy
Once in a while I will get a clock that has more going for it than I can describe in one breath. Let’s see - month duration, maintaining power, knife-edge suspension, famous maker, beautiful case, perfect dial... and, oh, did I forget to mention, open escapement? Claterbos tells us that the maker of this exquisite piece was a clock-maker to the Austrian court in Vienna, Prague, and La Chaux de-Fonds (think “Serious Swiss watch-making center”). He received an honorable mention at the Vienna exhibition of 1880, was working at Rotenturmstrasse 6 in 1866, as a clockmaker to the royal court. He was still in these premises, with his son, and still the clockmaker to the royal court in 1900. By the way, spelling of names is often the provenance of itinerant calligraphers - Suchy’s name variously appears as Karl, or Carl, Suchi, or Suchy.
Pieces like this are what collecting is all about - pieces that are unusual, but still elegant. Technically phenomenal, while still artistically interesting. My minds eye sees the beautifully executed stringing to the backboard and the unusual, and oh so perfectly-executed hands - details that I remember most about this clock, even though the mechanism, with its open escapement and knife-edge escapement is the crowning glory of this piece - again, the contrast between artistic, and technical perfection. And this clock has it all.
Let’s start with the case. This piece has benefitted from a very appropriate and thorough cleaning and light French polishing. The case is in beautiful condition - read to hang and enjoy. Sometimes I wish that the finer pieces that I sell will go to a person with very few clocks, so they have the time to truly appreciate the pieces they get from me. This clocks deserves a home where it is loved every time it is wound - granted, being a month runner, it will unfortunately get less attention than it deserves.
The details of the case are perfect - the oh so small door hook, original, and exquisitely executed wall stabilizers, flawless beat scale, small and nigh perfect weight, original and very nice door and base trim, perfect, brass-backed pendulum bob; overall a very nice piece.
Then there is the mechanism. Your attention is first directed to the photo of the makers mark - impressed into the back plate: Unusual to find such a deeply-impressed mark, but providing a view of the Suchy crest, clearly proclaiming this makers position in Viennese society. My next observation is of the number and layout of the pivots in the back plate - the off-set pivot for the extra gear that makes this a month runner, as well as the pivot on the other side of the mechanism for the maintaining power pawl. Please note, this mechanism is quite a bit larger than the typical Viennese mechanism, more the plates you would expect to find in a 3 weight mechanism. And yes, the mechanism could use a good cleaning. But, I view this as an important enough piece that the buyer who commissions its cleaning will receive a complimentary photo album documenting the unusual features of this piece. Please note, if you have not seen the photo albums I use to document the finer mechanisms that I am lucky enough to get to work on, visit my site and view the “Viennese Art” gallery! And then there is the knife-edge suspension - surprisingly unusual, in fact, in the 500 or so clocks I have bought this is only the third example, interestingly, the other three were on three-month duration clocks, or on an early laterndluhr.
While I feel that clocks like this deserve more description, Kelly tells me that I am sometimes just the least little bit verbose on clocks that I really like. So, look at the pictures, and decide for yourself if this is a clock you want to see go to someone else.
Read MorePieces like this are what collecting is all about - pieces that are unusual, but still elegant. Technically phenomenal, while still artistically interesting. My minds eye sees the beautifully executed stringing to the backboard and the unusual, and oh so perfectly-executed hands - details that I remember most about this clock, even though the mechanism, with its open escapement and knife-edge escapement is the crowning glory of this piece - again, the contrast between artistic, and technical perfection. And this clock has it all.
Let’s start with the case. This piece has benefitted from a very appropriate and thorough cleaning and light French polishing. The case is in beautiful condition - read to hang and enjoy. Sometimes I wish that the finer pieces that I sell will go to a person with very few clocks, so they have the time to truly appreciate the pieces they get from me. This clocks deserves a home where it is loved every time it is wound - granted, being a month runner, it will unfortunately get less attention than it deserves.
The details of the case are perfect - the oh so small door hook, original, and exquisitely executed wall stabilizers, flawless beat scale, small and nigh perfect weight, original and very nice door and base trim, perfect, brass-backed pendulum bob; overall a very nice piece.
Then there is the mechanism. Your attention is first directed to the photo of the makers mark - impressed into the back plate: Unusual to find such a deeply-impressed mark, but providing a view of the Suchy crest, clearly proclaiming this makers position in Viennese society. My next observation is of the number and layout of the pivots in the back plate - the off-set pivot for the extra gear that makes this a month runner, as well as the pivot on the other side of the mechanism for the maintaining power pawl. Please note, this mechanism is quite a bit larger than the typical Viennese mechanism, more the plates you would expect to find in a 3 weight mechanism. And yes, the mechanism could use a good cleaning. But, I view this as an important enough piece that the buyer who commissions its cleaning will receive a complimentary photo album documenting the unusual features of this piece. Please note, if you have not seen the photo albums I use to document the finer mechanisms that I am lucky enough to get to work on, visit my site and view the “Viennese Art” gallery! And then there is the knife-edge suspension - surprisingly unusual, in fact, in the 500 or so clocks I have bought this is only the third example, interestingly, the other three were on three-month duration clocks, or on an early laterndluhr.
While I feel that clocks like this deserve more description, Kelly tells me that I am sometimes just the least little bit verbose on clocks that I really like. So, look at the pictures, and decide for yourself if this is a clock you want to see go to someone else.
