this gorgeous thing is a ‘biedermeier vienna regulator’ with single-piece ‘pie crust’ dial… c1835-1848. biedermeier clocks came mostly out of vienna, but also germany.
the dial, cast bezel and hands are all exquisite. the five legged weight pulley is also typical, lovely, and desirable to collectors. this is a one-weight clock with one winding hole… which makes it time only.
early tall case clocks originally had just one hand… because there was no justification (yet) for a minute hand when clocks were of limited accuracy. by the 1800s, though, clocks were accurate to within seconds per week. still, second hands were not yet a thing. in fact, they were so not a thing that vienna regulators typically had second hands that made one full revolution in 45 seconds as opposed to the 60 you might expect. many have wondered why, but no one knows for sure. yes, the geometry and math of a pendulum length of 22-ish inches are one explanation, but why anyone thought this was a particular good idea is a mystery. there is an anecdote about a doctor making an emergency house call and checking his patient’s pulse against the vienna regulator hanging on the wall.
this one also has a rare two piece pendulum bob with a front and a back, fastened together by two small screws through the back.
