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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Clock watch

Clock watch with astronomical dial and sundial by Jan Jansen Bockeltz

Partially verified

This clock watch, attributed to the Dutch maker Jan Jansen Bockeltz, is constructed with an oval gilded-brass case featuring pierced, engraved decoration. The movement, housed within, contains a going train, a striking train that sounds on an internal bell, and an alarm mechanism. The dial, featuring a silver chapter ring and subsidiary dials for moon phase, calendar, and alarm setting, is decorated with engraved personifications of the Four Seasons. A folding, portable sundial is mounted to the interior of the case cover, aiding in time calibration. Evidence indicates subsequent modifications, including the addition of a balance spring and various repairs to the dial and gearings.

The open clock watch displaying the dial and the interior cover with its folding sundial.
The open clock watch displaying the dial and the interior cover with its folding sundial. — The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.metmuseum.org
Category
Pocket watch · Clock watch
Maker / attribution
Jan Jansen Bockeltz
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
17.190.1603
Source-reported date
ca. 1605–10
Source-reported place
Dutch Republic

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Construction and Design

The watch is housed in an oval case of gilded brass, featuring intricate, pierced, and engraved covers. The exterior of the back is chased with foliage, animals, and human figures, including a seated youth and a Roman soldier. The movement itself consists of two gilded-brass plates separated by vase-shaped pillars, driven by a fusee designed for a gut line, though now fitted with a chain. The going train terminates in a verge escapement.

The striking mechanism is contained within the movement, with an iron spring in an openwork barrel, regulated by a count wheel. An alarm train is also present, powered by its own spring. A lever on the back plate allows for the silencing of the striking mechanism, while an integrated sundial in the cover provides for time adjustment.

Evidence for this section
  • “The movement of the Metropolitan’s watch is hinged to an oval case and cover at the twelve o’clock position.”
  • “The movement also contains a going train of three wheels that end in a verge escapement”
  • “The striking train has five wheels and a fly, which strikes the hours on a bell that is screwed to the interior of the back case.”

Dial and Astronomical Features

The dial plate is a complex assembly, secured with steel latches and feet. It displays a central silver chapter ring for the hours, flanked by subsidiary dials for the moon phase, the day of the month, and the month. The remaining surface is filled with engraved personifications of the Four Seasons, adapted from designs by the artist Maarten de Vos.

These figures are labeled in Latin: spring (lenten), summer (somer), winter, and autumn (herbst).

Evidence for this section
  • “The dial plate carries a silver chapter of hours (I–XII), with stars marking the half hours and touch pins.”
  • “There are subsidiary dials for demonstrating the phase of the moon (upper left), the day of the month (upper right), and the month with the number of days in the month (below the center.)”
  • “The remaining areas of the dial plate are filled by engraved figures that personify the Four Seasons.”

Condition and Maintenance

The watch has undergone multiple repairs and alterations over its history. The hog’s-bristle regulator has been removed, and the table of the balance cock shows signs of strengthening.

Further components, including the alarm disk and the hands, are noted as later replacements. The striking train's fly has been replaced, the internal bell is cracked, and the original gut line for the fusee has been substituted with a chain. These modifications indicate that the object remained in functional use long after its initial manufacture in the early seventeenth century.

Evidence for this section
  • “The original hog’s-bristle regulation for the balance has been removed, and the installation of the balance spring probably accounts for the replacement of the original verge and balance.”
  • “The disk for setting the alarm is a replacement, and neither of the hands are original to the watch.”
  • “A chain for the fusee has replaced the gut line.”

Open research questions

  • What specific evidence exists to confirm the attribution of the case to Jan Jansen Bockeltz beyond its stylistic similarity to other known examples?
  • Can the provenance of the watch be traced further back than its acquisition by Frederick George Hilton Price?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Clock watch with astronomical dial and sundial by Jan Jansen Bockeltz
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerJan Jansen Bockeltz“Jan Jansen Bockeltz, Maker”
Dateca. 1605–10“ca. 1605–10”
Accession number17.190.1603“17.190.1603”
Case materialGilded brass“Case: gilded brass”
Dial materialGilded brass, silver, and copper“Dial: gilded brass, silver, and copper”
Case dimensions3 1/2 × 2 7/16 × 2 5/16 in.“Overall: 3 1/2 × 2 7/16 × 2 5/16 in. (8.9 × 6.2 × 5.9 cm)”
SignatureIan•Ianssen• Bockeltz/ Van Aec ken““Ian•Ianssen• Bockeltz/ Van Aec ken,” is engraved in the center of the upper half of the back plate.”
SundialPortable horizontal sundial“A portable horizontal sundial with a folding-style compass that is usable at 42-degree latitude is screwed to the interior of the cover.”

Visible details

  • Engraved figures of the Four Seasons decorate the dial plate
  • Pierced gilded brass casing features animal and human motifs
  • Folding horizontal sundial with compass is mounted inside the cover
  • Back plate is signed 'Ian•Ianssen• Bockeltz/ Van Aec ken'

Research qualifications

  • The central alarm disk and hands are identified as replacements
  • The original hog’s-bristle regulator has been removed and replaced by a balance spring mechanism
  • The exact birthplace of the maker is uncertain, though Aachen is associated with his signature

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Clock watch with astronomical dial and sundial

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record 58bf52bc7c

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Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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