A FINE PATINATED AND GILT BRONZE TABLE REGULATOR WITH SIX-LEGGED GRAVITY ESCAPEMENT Sinclair Harding, Cheltenham, circa 1985-90 The circular gilt four double-screwed columnar pillar single chain fusee movement with Harrison's maintaining power, external six-legged gravity escapement incorporating jewelled pallets pivoted beneath sub frame mounted on the backplate, and regulated by half-seconds pendulum with wire rod and large diameter heavy gilt brass cylindrical bob, the 6 inch circular silvered dial with eccentric Roman numeral chapter ring interrupted by slender subsidiary seconds ring at six o'clock and with separate outer minute track, applied onto the frosted silvered ground over two curved plates signed SINCLAIR, HARDING to lower margin, with blued steel spade hands within canted gilt circular surround, the case with fluted urn finial to the gilt line bordered stepped cavetto moulded panel upstand over keystone latch for the full-height bevelled front glass and rectangular section patinated bronze corner uprights incorporating horizontal gilt line details at the base of the arch, the sides with curved glasses following the profile of the arch over gilt rail and further rectangular windows, the rear matching the front, the interior with gilt floor applied with silvered pendulum beat scale calibrated 5-0-5 and engraved with serial number 869, on stepped black marble plinth base with chamfered edges and canted angles over brass ball feet. 56cm (2ins) high, 26cm (10.25ins) wide, 23cm (9ins) deep. The Cheltenham based clockmaking firm Sinclair Harding was established by Bill Sinclair and Mike Harding in 1967. Between 1971 and around 1995 the business evolved from being initially focussed on restoration and repair to designing and building their own clocks including chiming longcase and table clocks, their design of 'sea clock', giant and perpetual calendar carriage clocks. In 1995 Mike Harding retired leaving the firm in the hands of Robert Bray; the following year Sinclair Harding were commissioned to make the clock for the Oval cricket ground and the business was relocated to North Yorkshire. In 1999 their first scale version of John Harrison's sea clock was produced adding to their ever increasing catalogue of complex timepieces, and 2010 saw Robert Bray awarded the Barrett Silver Medal by the British Horological Institute as well as being appointed Vice President. The firm have always been regular attendees at Baselworld and in 2017 exhibited their Harrison H1 timepiece at Salon QP. The Gravity escapement in the current lot has its roots in the exploratory designs of some of the leading late 18th and early 19th century makers such as Berthoud, Mudge, Cumming and Hardy. Bloxam had come close to perfecting the design in 1853 however was still plagued by the fault encountered by earlier attempts in that the pallets tended to bounce off the escapement locking surface; known as 'tripping'. Edward Denison (later Lord Grimthorp) perfected the gravity escapement in 1860 by eliminating the tripping problem. He did this through the connection of a fly (air brake), directly to the escape arbor via a friction clutch. It allows the fan to advance slightly after the escapement engages the pallet. The inertia provided by the weight of the fly keeps the escapement seated against the pallet during locking; in essence acting as an 'energy sink'. This escapement provides a nearly detached pendulum from the rest of the clockwork and, as there is no sliding friction, there is no need to oil the escapement. These features made the escapement perfect for use in turret clocks where a high degree of accuracy can be maintained with minimal maintenance. There are two principal designs of gravity escapement the first is the double three-legged type the second in the four legged design. The former uses two pairs of three legs for the pallets and three impulse pins at the centre whilst the second has four legs and four pins. The disadvantage of the both of these designs is that the escape arbor revolves either 1/6 (double three legged) or 1/4 (four legged) for each beat of the pendulum hence the train of the timepiece needs suitable long gearing to maintain a reasonably long duration. The current movement is unusual in that it utilizes a six legged arrangement which has no doubt been employed to facilitate running with a half-seconds pendulum.