Lot 61

Anton Baronek, Karlstein a.d.Th., Height 370 mm, circa 1900
A remarkable wall clock with regulator dial and electrical drive according Galileo Ferraris
Case: walnut. Dial: silvered. Movm.: rectangular-shaped brass movement, lever escapement, lever with pallets, steel pendulum rod and brass bob.
A fascinating timepiece created by Anton Baronek, maker of astronomical precision clocks and teacher at the watchmaking school in Karlstein on the river Thaya. The movement is driven by an electric motor based on eddy currents; the motor is fitted below the movement and keeps the current flowing to the barrel through a transmission medium, consequently improving the accuracy of the clock. An interesting factor is the disc in the drive, which will be familiar to anyone with an old-style electricity meter in their home: the wheel turning at a steady pace in the meter window is the same as this electrically driven disc developed by Italian physicist Galileo Ferraris (1847-1897), who introduced the concept of the rotating magnetic field. Ferraris was professor of Physics in Turin from 1880 on and founder of the first electro-technical school for engineers in Italy. In 1888 he invented the alternating current system at the same time as Nikola Tesla.

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