A. Ericsson, St. Petersburg

• 24 Lancashire size gilt full plate movement, spring detent escapement, reverse fusee, free-sprung, bi-metallic compensation balance with gold screws, blued steel helical spring, diamond endstone, jewels in screwed settings • white enamel 24-hour dial by Willis, Arabic numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary dial for up-and-down, large subsidiary seconds dial, blued steel hands • polished silver case, the back engraved B. T. O. N. 125/18058, plain pendant and bow, case maker's mark FT for Fred Thoms, hallmarked for 1891 • dial and movement signed A. Ericsson, St. Petersburg No. 61

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, p. 423, pl. 273

August Ericsson, born in Sweden, is recorded as working in St. Petersburg as a chronometer maker.  Victor Kullberg supplied him with approximately 130 deck chronometers and likely many more marine chronometers.  The present lot appears in Kullberg's workbooks as Kullberg's number 5347.  The pillar plate, below the dial stamped with the ebauche maker's mark J.P for Joseph Preston & Sons. The present lot’s dial is a superb example of Willis at his finest. The 24-hour dial is an unusual feature. The up/down indication is small enough that it does not interfere with the 24-hour chapter, and the subsidiary seconds dial is designed to be large enough so that it remains legible. The integration of the three features (the hour ring, up/down and subsidiary seconds) in this manner was certainly quite a task, however it has been done in such a way to still be clear.