Antique 19th Century Tiffany & Co. Weight Driven Grandfather Clock, Restored

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Antique 19th Century Tiffany & Co. Weight Driven Grandfather Clock, Restored:
$22500.00

Please note: Photographs were taken before the clock was professionally serviced. The weights are wrong in the picture but are currently in their correct placements. The clock is also serviced every year.

Measuring approximately 98 1/2" high, 27 1/2" wide and 17" deep, this clock is unusually rare, featuring:- Ornately carved tall-case mahogany cabinet with an oval, beveled glass window displaying the chimes and weights, as well as delicate scroll work mahogany sound panels on either side of the movement- Nine tubular chimes strike to the sound of the Westminster chimes of St. Mary's of Cambridge or The Eight Bell chimes of nautical tradition, with a well-working silent setting - A 12 inch silvered and gilded Arabic numbered dial, signed "Tiffany & Co. New York" with detailed pierce work hands- A face topped with a hand painted scenic Moon Phase dial- An exceptional timekeeping and chime movement, both manufactured and signed by Walter H. Durfee of Providence, Rhode Island. At the rear of the beautiful movement main plate is Durfee's logo/signature. The two main plates carrying the precision gear train are themselves works of art with their beautiful swirls of Damascus bronze. The same circular logo, Walter H Durfee Providence R I, also appears on the reverse of the moon phase dial. The lovely lathe turned spindles separating the mechanism plates are examples of the artistry brought into the movement with no expectations of ever being seen.

Please see below for background and restoration is largely regarded as the the founding father of the most prestigious tall case clocks. He marketed through a distributorship agreement with Tiffany throughout the late 1880's into the 1890's. Durfee began incorporating the nine tube chime after a trip to England in 1886, to meet a Mr. J. Harrington who first developed the chime system. As a result of this meeting, Durfee became the sole agent in the United States for this system of tubular chimes. Eight nickel plated tubes, inch and a half diameter and of varying lengths, played the music by means of a pinned, weight driven music box cylinder which actuated the hammers. A ninth nickeled tube, nearly seven feet long, struck the time, which sounded on each quarter hour. This soon became one of the most desirable feature available on American made tall case clocks. Tiffany & Co. wanted to market a top of the line hall clock with the most beautiful sounding chimes available, so they became the sole New York agent for the Walter H. Durfee grandfather clocks.

Clock Restoration Procedure, Completed 10/10/2016:

Complete reconditioning of circa 1887, Tiffany of New York, tall case clock mechanism. Mechanism constructed by Walter H. Durfee, Master Horologist, exclusively for Tiffany, signed in several locations and numbered 296.Clock at the onset was in good physical condition having had relatively little runtime over the last 129 years; all brass, bronze and carbon steel were in good condition.1. Extreme care was used in the disassembly process. Notes were taken, all stages were photographed, parts alignment was noted at the intersection of each gear train. Mechanism is of the 'Chiming and Striking, Rack and Snail system' found in the finest grandfather clocks. 2. Every single gear, spring, lever and ratchet was individually disassembled and inspected under a high power glass. 3. They were each soaked in a high grade cleaning solution, put through multiple rinses and then carefully dried. Every single piece was hand-polished and staged it for reassembly: - Bearing points were honed smooth and pivot bushings polished. -The mechanism main plates, which are heavy weight Damascus bronze, were hand cleaned with mild detergent as to not damage the original lacquer protecting the Damascus. Then a lacquer polish to bring back their original sheen. - The music cylinder was soaked clean, brought to a shine and pins adjusted to align with trigger levers.4. Assembly adhered as closely to originally assemble procedures as possible. Sterile Environment, white glove assembly. A wood and steel frame structure was built to complete final stages of assembly and complete test runs in the process. - All parts were lubricated with Moebius Swiss clock oil upon assembly. - All new woven bronze cable, 150 lb. test, was ordered for the three drive train assemblies. - The brass weights and pendulum fob were de-lacquered, cleaned and polished to a high shine on a jewelers rouge wheel. - The carbon steel pendulum was buffed, then fit with a new .007" carbon steel suspension spring and hanger. Bronze matching time and strike mechanism pulleys were also fit.5. Following the assembly, the mechanism was set to run, pendulum and escapement adjustments were made in increments over the course of several days. 6. The bronze ormolu clock face itself had darkened over time, with most of the darkening on the number dial composed of a silver wash over bronze. The silver had gotten very thin and the oxidation was occurring from beneath. - A mild but thorough cleaning was done to bring it back to it's original appearance. It was carefully polished with soft cotton cloths. - The moon phase dial was removed, cleaned, bearing oiled then reattached.

Link to a video of the chimes being tested:

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Item code: LABLK.BO