103rd Auction

2020/11/7

Lot 86

Paul Stübner, Glashütte i/S., Movement No. 347, Height 1490 mm, circa 1918
An astronomical precision regulator with Riefler pendulum No. 1507, DRP 100870, former property of the observatory of the "Case School of Applied Science" in Cleveland
Case: mahogany. Dial: silvered. Movm.: rectangular-shaped brass movement, weight driven, Graham escapement with adjustable steel pallets with inlaid sapphires, pendulum spring suspension, lateral impulse, invar steel pendulum "type J", no. 1507, DRP no. 100870.
This Glashütte precision pendulum clock is not signed by Paul Stübner but the Riefler sales records the delivery of pendulums 1504 to 1508 to Stübner/Glashütte on August 18, 1918. The clock is also very similar in construction and case to the other clock by Stübner (which was signed) at the Warner & Swasey Observatory. Both clocks were a donation to the observatory at the "Case School of Applied Science" in 1947 from the company Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. in Rochester, N.Y. German immigrants Johann Jakob Bausch and Henry C. Lomb founded a company specializing in the making of monocles in 1853 – later the company also produced microscopes, optical lenses, spectacles and projectors.
The clock is adjusted to solar time and in excellent condition. After its retirement from the observatory it has been privately owned and never been offered for sale.
Paul Stübner was born in Glashütte in 1860; one of his brothers was Fridolin Stübner, another skilled watchmaker. Paul Stübner had seven daughters (which brought him the nickname "girls‘ Stübner") and worked for Strasser & Rohde for 25 years before opening his own business in 1905; most likely his motivation for this was the imperial navy’s intention to become independent from foreign marine chronometer suppliers. Stübner ran his business very successfully until the 1930s, when he more or less retired. He died in 1946 a few days after a fire in his house, where he suffered severe smoke inhalation.
From 1905 on Stübner produced precision pendulum clocks in three quality standards to begin with and later reduced it to two standards. Most of his clocks were fitted with Riefler pendulums; he also began using pendulums by Strasser & Rohde around 1920. Movements and cases are always of top quality – as we can see with this timepiece.

estimated
14.00019.000 €
Price realized
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