Pocket chronometer movement by Robert Twyford, 1860-1920 — view 1 of 2
View 1 of 2 · Image: Science Museum Group · original image source

Movements & Components · Movement - clockwork

Pocket chronometer movement by Robert Twyford, 1860-1920

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
Twyford, Robert (maker)
Date
1860-1920
Country of origin
England
Place
London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, London
Object type
Movement - clockwork
Dimensions
overall: 15 mm 48 mm, .065kg
Holding institution
Science Museum Group, London
Accession / object no.
1975-171
Credit line
Hubbard, L.
Catalogue title (original)
Chronometer Mechanism by Twyford, 1860-1920

View the source record ↗

Record summary

Held and catalogued by Science Museum Group, London (object number 1975-171), this is a movement - clockwork by Twyford, Robert, made in London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, London, dated 1860-1920. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Movements & Components collection. Recorded dimensions: overall: 15 mm 48 mm, .065kg. The record is illustrated with 2 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

The source record does not include a narrative description. The structured fields above are reproduced from it.

Inscriptions & marks

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Historical context

Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)

American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.

Standardised calibres, interchangeable parts and machine tools allowed movements to be mass-produced in American and Swiss factories.

Read the period in the timelineMore movements & components from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology

Atlas type guide

Clock and watch movements

The movement is the mechanism of a clock or watch, without its case and dial. It consists of the power source (weight or mainspring in its barrel, sometimes with a fusee), the going train of wheels and pinions, the escapement and oscillator, the motion work that drives the hands, and in many cases additional trains for striking or complications.

From the eighteenth century watch movements were increasingly produced in stages: Swiss and French ébauche makers supplied rough movements that finishers, repasseurs and retailers completed and signed. Calibre numbers — first used systematically by American and Swiss factories in the nineteenth century — make it possible to identify movements, find spare parts and date watches.

What to look for

  • Plate and bridge layout: full plate, three-quarter plate, Lépine bar calibre, bridges and cocks.
  • Jewel count and whether jewels are set in chatons or rubbed in.
  • Signatures, calibre and serial numbers on the plate or under the dial.
  • Finishing: Geneva stripes (Côtes de Genève), perlage, bevelled edges, blued screws.
  • Fusee and chain, going barrel, or electrical components.

Dating clues

  • Full-plate English movements dominate before c. 1850; three-quarter plate and Lépine calibres after.
  • Jewelled movements spread after Facio and Debaufre's patent of 1704, mainly in English work until c. 1800.
  • Calibre numbers and factory serials allow close dating for industrial production after c. 1850.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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