# Marine Chronometer Advice



## vipereaper30 (Sep 12, 2009)

I found some really cool examples of German marine chronometers from the early 1900's on Militruhren: Collectors Site for Military Timepieces. Here are a few examples:


















I would really like to get an actual chronometer like this, but expect that prices aren't going to be cheap. Does anyone know what kind of price range I am looking at?

Also, has anyone come across versions that are similar but at a lower cost?

I'm definitely going to be purchasing a wrist watch with this look. Although I can only think of Ulysee Nardin as a good brand to look at. I would love to get some suggestions for other options if you know of any, thanks!


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## duna (Apr 4, 2011)

Deck clocks like these can still be purchased new, for a decent price, manifactured in Russia (and probably elsewhere). Being real working tools, not pieces of forniture, their dials are not so nice with Roman numerals etc. , they use simple functional designs. 
Ship's watches


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## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Have a look at Wempe, still selling those.


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## vipereaper30 (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks Duna & Mike, I'm checking those out now.

I stumbled across this tonight at a Panerai botique:
Officine Panerai - Laboratorio di Idee

My initial instinct was I had to have it, but then I wisely decided additional research would be necessary. For those of you with experience with these, shouldn't a timepiece that is > $30k and is a "Marine Chronometer" be able to handle a little bit of water and/or humidity? This one can't handle either!


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## peakay (Feb 5, 2011)

I always think of Marine Chronometers as being boxed and mounted on gimbals as the vintage ones in this thread: https://www.watchuseek.com/f385/anyone-see-pawn-stars-ships-chronometer-333486.html

Working vintage examples of these sell for $1000 upwards depending on condition. Try a web search for "marine chronometer"

Wall mounted "Bulkhead" clocks can be found for a few $£ for cheap quartz decorative ones and much more for high quality quartz or mechanical functional models intended for actual use on ships and boats. Your vintage examples if chronometer grade, are also likely to be $1000>


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## 124Spider (Feb 1, 2009)

Peakay is correct; those are not "marine chronometers" that you pictured in your first post; but bulkhead clocks or steam room clocks. They may well have been used on ships, but not for the same function as the chronometer, and won't be as accurate or as regular as a chronometer.

Good, 100 year old bulkhead clocks, in good condition, are quite pricey; they can easily go for thousands of dollars, depending on make, age and size.

Other than Soviet marine chronometers from the cold war era, which are flooding the market and which can be had for $1000 to $2000, any good marine chronometer will cost $2500 and up, with a good one from the age of sail costing $5000 and up.

The Panerai one you linked is, IMO, a silly way to spend a lot of money. "COSC standard" for a marine chronometer is laughable, I have three marine chronometers, aged 180 years, 66 years and 39 years, and one deck watch/chronometer watch, and all can fairly easily be regulated to keep time to within a half second a day, and be extremely regular about whatever daily error there is).

If marine clocks attract you (as they do me), it would be advisable to learn about them before buying. It's very easy to spend a whole bunch of money on a bad clock if you don't, while the rewards of having a quality old clock with lots of romance in its past are worth the work.

And, no, marine chronometers never were waterproof. They were kept in a very safe, dry place, could certainly handle humidity, and would be (at least in the age of sail) one of the most valuable items on board. Captain Bligh was able to navigate his rowboat a great distance, because the mutineers gave him the ship's chronometer (since they planned to burn the ship anyway).


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## Tick Talk (May 14, 2010)

124Spider said:


> "COSC standard" for a marine chronometer is laughable, I have three marine chronometers, aged 180 years, 66 years and 39 years, and one deck watch/chronometer watch, and all can fairly easily be regulated to keep time to within a half second a day, and be extremely regular about whatever daily error there is.


So true :-( Since COSC usurped the term "chronometer" we've been left with a mediocre standard for forty years. Even the two recent Observatory Concours in 2009 and just completed in 2011 have been far less than the original tests.


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## Clickclock (Jul 4, 2012)

Hi all, new to this so please forgive me or delete post if wrong . I have a bulkhead clock exactly like the one in the second picture and wondered if there is a site somewhere where I could get an idea of value etc ,the clock has been in the family for many years and stuck in a cupboard for the last 10/15 which is a bit of a waste I suppose but SWMBO won't have it hung :0( . thanks . Paul.


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## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Picture please!


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## Clickclock (Jul 4, 2012)

Hope I can do this right :-s


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## Ben_hutcherson (Aug 27, 2011)

For someone looking for a real, honest to goodness marine chronometer, it's hard to beat a Hamilton model 21. 

This is, in a sense, the most advanced evolution of the classical design marine chronometer. The model 21s have a fusee and and a helical hairspring to maximize isochronism and a detent(chronometer) escapement for maximum rate stability but combine these with an Elinvar Extra hairspring and an ovalizing stainless steel/invar bimetallic balance wheel to all but eliminate middle temperature error. 

Hamilton turned out thousands of these for WWII(in fact, in a sense these chronometer helped win the war) and a good many of them continued on in service after this. I see them often enough with stickers inside the case indicating a relatively recent service while still in Navy possesion-i.e. late '80s into the early '90s. 


The Hamilton 22, which is a 35-size lever escapement deck watch can be nearly as good of a timekeeper when in good condition. These are available in "deck watch" form(looks like an oversized pocket watch) and in gimballed form that looks more like a traditional chronometer.


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## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Clickclock said:


> Hope I can do this right :-s
> View attachment 758288
> View attachment 758289


Beautiful. If my wife objected to me hanging it on a wall it would cause a serious marital divide.
Do you have any movement pics?


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