126 - Adolf Kittel - Glashütte Chronometer

Adolf Kittel - Glashütte Chronometer An important, extremely rare Glashütte/Altona deck chronometer with a 52-hour power reserve indicator, used by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Movm. No. 234, Case No. 234, Dimensions 58 mm, circa 1890, Weight 171 g, Origin: Germany, Original box Case: Silver, engraved “U.S.C. & G.S. No. 234” (United States Coast and Geodetic Survey). Dial: Enamel. Movement: 3/4-plate movement, Stuebner’s pivoted detent escapement with short Glashütte detent, free-sprung helical balance spring, heavy gold-screw chronometer balance. At our 97th auction, we sold the chronometer numbered 233 (Lot 59) for EUR 27,000. A chronometer of very similar design is illustrated and described in *Klassik Uhren*, “Glashütte damals, Teil II” by Waldemar Becker and Christian Pfeiffer-Belli, Issue 3/92, Munich 1992, p. 15. However, the movement of that watch, No. 303 (which bears the signature “A. Kittel, Altona” on the dial), was made by Fridolin Stübner in Glashütte and has been signed accordingly. This chronometer likely came from the estate of Adolf Kittel’s grandson. Adolf Kittel was born in 1845 in Aurich and later moved to Altona. By 1877, several of his clocks had already won prizes in Hamburg and Altona; they also regularly participated in the naval observatory’s chronometer tests. Kittel’s specialties included, for example, chronometers without a fusee, a new chronometer escapement, and an auxiliary mechanism to compensate for temperature variations; for pendulum clocks, Kittel designed his own free escapement and a barometric compensation mechanism for air pressure changes, which was attached to the pendulum. Kittel also supplied a number of astronomical pendulum clocks to German and foreign observatories. At the 1889 industrial exhibition in Hamburg, he exhibited an astronomical pendulum clock that later became the property of the Hamburg Observatory (Kittel No. 25). Kittel closed his workshop in Altona in 1911 and sold his remaining chronometers with Schorr’s assistance. However, during the war and the subsequent recession, his savings were quickly depleted, and in 1919 he moved to Aurich to live with his family. Kittel’s financial situation and health continued to deteriorate, and he died on October 4, 1921. Source: http://www.friedensblitz.de/sterne/navschu/Kittel.htm Fridolin Stuebner was the most important chronometer maker in Glashütte. Herkner remarks: “Lang’s continued success at the important chronometer tests conducted by the Hamburg Observatory began with the marine chronometers regulated by Fridolin Stuebner.” Source: “Glashütte und seine Uhren” by Kurt Herkner, Dormagen 1978. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) was established by Congress in the early 19th century to survey the Atlantic coast and create accurate navigation charts for maritime activities. Originally called the Coast Survey, it was intended as a temporary agency funded until safe navigation charts were completed. However, as the organization expanded its mission to include extensive research in fields such as hydrography, cartography, and meteorology, it became a vital scientific agency, ultimately leading to its continued funding. In 1878, it was officially renamed the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Over its more than 150 years of operation, the USC&GS made significant advancements in geodesy and surveying techniques, including triangulation and geodetic astronomy. The agency conducted systematic observations of solar eclipses and studied celestial transits, contributing to a more accurate understanding of the Earth’s shape. It also played a critical role in improving navigation by determining ideal locations for lighthouses and buoys and maintaining the nation’s standards for weights and measures. Although the USC&GS was eventually dissolved, its legacy and research practices were carried on by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which continues to manage navigation and tidal monitoring today. Source: www.ebsco.com/research-starters/science/us-coast-and-geodetic-survey-uscgs Case: very good, slightly worn. Dial: very good. Movement: very good, capable of running, cleaning recommended.