An extremely rare Eighteenth Century Neuchatel Swiss eight tune musical pipe organ and quarter striking wall clock with bracket. The white enamel dial signedJ. ROBERT ET FILS A LA CHAUX DE FOND, circa 1770. The dial: black Arabic minute numerals and black Roman hour numerals. A fine regulation adjustment by turning a small winding square cut out in the numeral 12. Right faster, left slower. A beautiful pair of pierced and engraved brass hands.

La Chaux de Fond, date circa 1770

Height 123 cm, Dial size 29 cm.

Two large winding squares for the spring powered going and striking trains are set to the left of the dial. The dial is mounted on a very beautiful engraved false plate depicting floral swags and musical instruments, visible through the lower half of the front door. The large brass rectangular movement is spring driven with verge escapement and silk suspension. Eight day duration, striking the quarters on two bells and the hours on a single bell, outside count wheel for the strike. Numbered on the back plate 739. The whole movement is mounted on the left side of a wooden seat board, which is why the winding squares in the dial are situated to the left side, thus making room for the massive brass double spring barrel fusee movement which powers the musical pipe organ. The fusee has a very large single winding square attached to a gearing which rotates a long steel rod. The rod turns a large brass wheel connected to the wooden pin barrel and thus lifts the fourteen brass valves at different intervals and releases the given amount of air from the bellows to the fourteen tin flutes for each single sound. An adjustable brass fly pinion controls the speed of the tunes. A decorative brass arm, connected to the back of the clock movement lifts automatically on the hour and releases a tune. A small enamel dial marked 1-8 for tune selection is mounted on the outside of the case.The case has a red ground decorated with polychrome flowers and ornamented with chased bronze mounts.