8905

A marine chronometer numbered 8905, by Victor Kullberg. It has a two-day full-plate movement with reverse fusee, and four pillars, all fixed with blued screws. The movement is marked with the broad arrow. The fusee, with stop-work and Harrison's maintaining power, has a pipe round the winding square. There is an Earnshaw-type spring detent escapement and a two-arm balance with a helical balance spring.

The movement is mounted in a two-tier mahogany box with a lock for the upper half. The upper half has a strut limiting opening to 90°. On the front of the upper half is screwed a rectangular tablet inscribed ‘VICTOR KULLBERG / TWO DAYS / 8905’ with a broad arrow. The box fittings are standard, with flush handles on the sides, brass gimbals and a ratchet-winding key. The lock is surrounded by a shaped brass insert and there is a similar insert on the front of the upper half. The glass is separate and broken. The beading around the top of the upper half is damaged. There is evidence that the box was once a three-tier box, which has been converted to two-tier. The underside of the box is covered with green baize. Inside the lid is a brass label-holder (empty).

A silvered-brass dial has Roman numerals and a large seconds dial has Arabic ten-second figures with straight batons at alternate five-second intervals. The dial is inscribed in the centre ‘VICTOR KULLBERG, / Maker to the Admiralty, / THE INDIAN & ITALIAN GOVERNMENTS, / 105 Liverpool Rd London. N.’, and in the seconds dial, ‘TEN GOLD MEDALS AWARDED / DIPLOMA OF HONOR SOLE & HIGHEST AWARD VIENNA’. Also in the seconds dial is the number 8905 and the broad arrow. The up-and-down dial, below XII, is marked with Arabic numerals in eight-hour intervals up to 56 and is marked 'UP' above zero and 'DOWN' above 56. Beside this dial are marks for ‘TO H.M. THE KING OF SWEDEN’ and ‘GRAND PRIX PARIS 1900’. The chronometer movement is in good condition. The box, gimbals and bowl are in fair condition.

Victor Kullberg (1824–1890) was born in Visby on the Island of Gotland, Sweden. He was trained by the Swedish chronometer maker Victor Soderburg in Stockholm in 1840 and emigrated to London in 1851, having moved to his permanent address at 105 Liverpool Road, N1, by 1870. During his lifetime Kullberg gained many medals and awards for his chronometers and enjoyed a truly international reputation. As well as supplying many foreign governments, he regularly submitted chronometers for the Annual Trials at Greenwich Observatory, gaining first place in 1864 with a chronometer fitted with his newly invented ‘flat rim’ balance.

His inventions included several designs of compensation balance and improvements to keyless winding for pocket watches. He also designed the automatic gas-governor for controlling the temperature of the chronometer testing ovens at the Observatory. More than 500 chronometers by Kullberg were supplied to the Royal Navy alone and he can be said to have been one of the 19th century’s finest chronometer makers. On Kullberg’s death in 1890 the firm was taken over by George and Peter Wennerstrom, themselves succeeded by Sanfrid Lundquist who had joined the firm in 1894 and who moved the firm to Cranford in Middlesex in 1938, trading under the name of Victor Kullberg until his death in 1947.

Object Details

ID: ZBA7858
Collection: Timekeeping
Type: Marine chronometer
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Kullberg, Victor
Date made: circa 1914
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 175 x 185 x 185 mm
Parts: 8905