Lot 22

Urban-Jürgensen & Sönner

A rare seconds-counter, or timer, for military observations with "seconde foudrayante" - with winding key and original box

Sold

The subsidiary seconds hand makes a full turn in one second, in 1/5th seconds jumps. There is no minute counter, so the user must keep track of the minutes during longer observations. The stop mechanism is activated by a lever in the caseband at 6 o'clock.
The timer was bought by Wildschiödtz for 35 Rdl. (Rigsdaler) in 1866 and sold the following day to the Danish marine artillery for 52 Rigsdaler.

Carl Christian Wildschiödtz was born in Copenhagen in 1824 as the son of a master tailor. At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a horologist named Groth and, on completing his apprenticeship, he worked for Winnerl in Paris for almost two years from 1846-1848. In 1848 he returned to Denmark to take part in the war that had broken out in Holstein, although in the end he did not volunteer. Wildschiödtz went to Urban Jürgensen Sönner, where he stayed for 12 years and carried out important work. In 1860 he completed his masterpiece and applied for a licence to trade, whereupon he set business in St. Kongensgade. He died in Copenhagen on 9th March 1897.
This seconds-counter is illustrated and described in "The Jürgensen Dynasty" by John M. R. Knudsen, Copenhagen 2013, page 178.