By John Locke

The first is a clock for cyclists – a genuine ‘on the handlebars, 8-day’ one! The first illustration shows its box, a removal key and the clock itself.

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The clock assembly is fixed into a casing having the usual handlebar fixing at the back: a ‘U’ shaped strap screwed to the casing and with a matching depression in the casing itself. The clock is held in this casing by a bayonet slot to accommodate the wind/set button and on the opposite side by a plug which screws out to fit into a hole in the casing. The two-pronged key is used to screw the plug out to the locked position or in to unlock.

The second illustration shows the components and also the back of the clock with the cover removed. From this, it can be seen that the clock is made by OCTO, the trademark of Couleru-Meuri of Chauds-de-Fonds. This trademark dates from 1903. The firm appeared to specialise in cycling accessories, having made a ‘Bicycle Club Observator’ in 1888, a ‘Compteur Kilometre’ in 1893 and ‘La Mascotte’ in 1897.

The movement is well made and finished. The dial is enamel. Winding and hand setting is by the bezel, the handset button controlling which of these functions it will be. Spring slip prevents overwinding.

The next item is a clockwork calendar called the ‘Day Dial Calendar’, made by Winterhalder and Hoffmeier. The construction is up to their usual high standard and is a month running platform escapement movement. There is a single hand indicating the date, engraved and filled black on a silvered dial. An outer ring is engraved with the days of the week; black background with Sundays in red, and with the letters filled in white. This ring has a limited rotation of 6 days and is set at the start of each month. To accommodate the weeks, the date markings have 4 blanks to make them a multiple of 7.

The illustrations show the general arrangement and the back plate. The veneer on the case is is lifting, I have seen them in much better condition!

The third item is not horological but will be of interest to jeweller readers, being an 18^th century set of diamond scales.

The scales, illustrated below, are complete apart from the ½ carat weight.

The label on the inside of the lid is particularly interesting, in that it gives the makers details: Charles De Grave of St. Anne’s Lane, Aldermarket (?), London. He is recorded as working at that address between 1788 and 1799. It also gives a table for calculating the value of any weight of diamond with prices ranging from £2 to £11.15.0 per carat – about 1/500 of today’s prices. (Figure 7)