A very rare James Jacquet Patent Tachoscope – combined timer and revolution counter – no. 8516 in case with attachments c1895

Stopwatch having 1⅝” enamel dial with 60 second outer dial and 30 minute subsidiary dial, the lower part with maker’s logogram. Gold painted hands under low dome glass. Crown winder. The bronzed verso with four-window revolution counter showing black numbers on white background, 0-9999, and carrying patent marks “DRP No. 70586” (Deutsches Reichspatent), Swiss “No. 5185,” and serial “No. 8516.”

Contained in its original brown leather over timber, purple velvet lined travel case, housing three attachments.

Condition: Complete and in good working condition, the enamel dial undamaged, the low dome glass with some light marks, the bronzed verso likewise. The drum form case retaining most of its original nickel plated finish. The travel case outer with some losses, the interior linings good.

Comments: The stopwatch runs when the counter is activated against the revolving shaft. Later versions of this tachoscope had the two dials side by side, rather than back to back, for ease of use. The illustration shows one such advertised in the Baird & Tatlock Catalogue of 1901.

A very rare and superbly engineered antique nickel plated revolution counter plus attachments in original transport case, generally used for looms and spindles in spinning mills.

James Jacquet of Basel began his business in 1888, becoming a known maker of specialised timing instruments. By 1893, and in the years following, his company was recognised for producing high-quality Swiss stopwatches and tachometers/revolution counters.