UNUSUAL TABLE CLOCK James Tuerlingx New York Patent Jan. 6, 1857 USA

M&R278

UNUSUAL TABLE CLOCK
Signed: James Tuerlingx New York
Gedateerd: Patent Jan. 6, 1857
USA

Uurwerk
The movement is situated on the base of the clock. It consists of an anchor escapement and an adjustable hairspring balance. The movement is driven by raising the beautiful bowl-shaped weight along the central screw, which then runs down and thus drives the movement. This system was developed and patented by its creator, James Tuerlingx.

Dial
The engine-turned silvered dial is located at the top of the clock and has a Roman chapter ring with five-minute and minute divisions. The time is indicated by two blued steel hands. The dial is protected by a convex glass.

Case
The gilt brass case consists of a base, three pillars and the horizontal dial. The middle part has a cylindrical glass casing, making the mechanism clearly visible. The pillars are decorated with silvered grape vines. The maker signed the clock on the inside of the base: James Tuerlingx New York. The whole rests on stylised feet depicting vines with grapes.

Duration 1 week
Height 22 cm.
Diameter 16 cm.

Literature
Another clock of this type is illustrated in Brooks Palmer, The Book of American Clocks. Although the mechanism of the Palmer clock is the same, the position of the dial is different, and it also reads “The American Screw Clock”. The same clock is also depicted on the cover of Kenneth Sposato’s Dictionary of American Clock and Watchmakers.

James Tuerlingx
It is known that James Tuerlingx was a Swiss immigrant and on January 6, 1857 he received his American patent ‘Patent No. 16,344’, ‘Maintaining Power for Timepieces’. His invention consists of putting a weight on a screw, so that when that weight goes down and turns on that screw, the whole mechanism is driven. Little is known about Tuerlingx, he is said to have disappeared during the Civil War.