A fine and rare second quarter 20th Century Swiss centre-seconds two-day marine chronometer with detent escapement by Paul Ditisheim, la Chaux-de-Fonds, number 130, the three tier box with brass corners and recessed handles opening to reveal the 10cms silvered dial with up and down subsidiary wind marker over the bold signature 'PAUL DITISHEIM, LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS' and further marked 'Grand Prix Paris 1900; Grand Prix Berne 1914, 'Maker TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, HOLDER OF THE KEW AND TEDDINGTON RECORDS' and 'Maker TO THE UNITED STATES NAVY RECORD HOLDER NEUCHATEL OBSERVATORY 305 STATE PRIZES', the centre seconds hand reading against an outer Arabic scale marked in half-second increments, and enclosing the Roman and Arabic subsidiary time dial marked for hours and minutes, all framed by an angled sight ring, in a chromed bowl with integral winding key set to the underside, in chrome gimbals, the latter with a large hand-setting knob below the VI position, the lacquered movement signed in a rectangular reserve above 'CENTRAL SECOND MARINE CHRONOMETER seven swiss patents', on a cross-hatched background, the movement with a pair of circular plates mounted on the dialplate, united by turned pillars and with high beating balance wheel and detent escapement with blued steel spring and gold 'scape wheel in jewelled settings mounted on the backplate within a protective glazed cap, the three-arm balance bridge futher signed 'Guillaume Compensating Balance' and numbered 130, the outer box case with ivory plaque inscribed with maker's name, town and timepiece number, 18.5 x 18.5 x 20cms.

Comparable literature:
von Osterhausen: Paul Ditisheim Chronometrier, Antoine Simonin, 2003.
Tony Mercer, Chronometer Makers of the World, NAG Press 1991
Whitney, The Ship's Chronometer, AWI Press, 1985,
von Bertele, Marine and Pocket Chronometers, Schiffer, 1991
Gould, The Marine Chronometer, Its History and Development, ACC 1989.

Notes: Ditisheim was a great pioneer in precision timekeeping in the early part of the last century. Mercer gives an excellent overview of the numerous prizes that were awarded to him. As well as making the smallest watch in the world for the Sultan of Oman, Ditisheim made huge improvements in the analysis and production of watch oils, investigated barometric compensation and wrote widely on other horological subjects and past makers. He was held in high esteem by his peers. Indeed, when Gould first published the standard work on chronometers in 1922, he included a picture of a very similar centre seconds chronometer in plate XXXVII as an example of modern chronometry with the following comments:

"In closing this chapter, it may be of interest to give a short description of the new type of chronometer recently introduced by the firm of Paul Ditisheim, which contains a number of the devices just described.
The machine, which is shown in Plate XXXVII, has, as will be noticed, a centre-seconds hand, the hours and minutes being shown on a subsidiary dial. The winding is affected by a permanently attached button at the bottom of the case, and mechanism is provided for setting the hour and minute hands in the same manner as those of a keyless watch. In addition, the balance and escapement are mounted so as to form a complete unit, and can at any time be detached (and if necessary, replaced by duplicates) without disturbing the remainder of the mechanism. The balance is of the "integral" type, with which M.Ditisheim's name has long been associated, and the escapement of the spring detent pattern, beating half seconds (although a lever escapement, beating fifths of a second, can be substituted). The machine has a gong-barrel and runs for 54 hours. experiments are, I understand, being directed towards providing later models with a barometric compensation, consisting of a moveable cap fitting over the balance.
While, of course, extremely up-to-date and a very fine example of modern horological development, this design is, in a way, a complete compendium of the chronometer's history. It brings together Harrison's centre seconds hand and his provision for setting the hands, Kendall's and Cole's dials, Le Roy's going barrel, Barraud's attached key, Breguet's method of using interchangeable parts, Ulrich's plan of detachable escapement and balance, the escapements of Earnshaw and Mudge and Hutton's auxiliary. It supplies a convincing proof, if any were needed, that the development of the chronometer is by no means finished, and that while utilising to the full the knowledge of the present-day, much may also be gained from a study of the past."

It is not known how many examples of these detent escapement chronometers were made by Ditisheim, but it would appear to be very few indeed. Number 230 is illustrated in Osterhausen p51, number 101 in Gould and number 112 in von Bertele.

Self-declaration ivory reference NDRKD2P9