John Bliss & Co. Collectibles and Curiosities

A Fine Two Day Marine Chronometer By John Bliss and Co, New York. No.3068 Two day marine chromometer by John Bliss and Co housed in a beautiful three tier brass bound box with brass carrying handles to the sides, brass push button knob opening to a third tier. The box has a wonderful rich patina and retains it’s original solid brass Tipsy key. The movement is housed within a gimballed brass surround which is stamped H.M.I and marked with the ordnance arrow The high quality 56 hour chain fusee movement has full brass plates joined by four ringed pillars, an Earnshaw-type spring detent escapement with maintaining power, split bi-metallic balance and cylindrical shaped temperature compensation weights, polished steel helical balance and faceted endstone. The silvered dial signed ‘John Bliss & Co, New York No 3068 with subsidiary dial below XII for ‘state of wind’ and subsidiary seconds dial above the VI, original ‘blued’ steel hands. C.1890 John Bliss & Co worked at 128 Front Street, New York between 1880 and 1929 and then 84 Pearl Street, New York from 1934 to 1939. Front Street runs from the Brooklyn Bridge to Hudson Ave. and Navy Street, close to the Docks area. On the death of John Bliss, his sons John and George carried on the business. Their chronometers were placed 3rd, 6th and 8th at the Washington Observatory Trials in 1886. They became suppliers to the US Navy and also made meteorological instruments and devised an original way of making mainsprings. Many of their movements were supplied by makers in England, particularly Victor Kullberg.