An M Allard month duration astronomical regulator clock, circa 1825, realised $80,000 at Skinner's November 2 auction in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
It made an impressive 166% increase on its estimate of $20,000-30,000.
 The lower rear door of the clock is inscribed: M Allard, Rue St Antoine |
Constructed in Paris, the clock features a figured walnut case and an architectural top with a moulded cornice. It has four hands, allowing for the display of hours, minutes, seconds and the equation of time.
Regulators were the most precise clocks available in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
They achieved their accuracy through their pendulums, which adjust in length depending on the temperature - allowing the mechanism to remain consistent.
A Tiffany quarter-chiming tubular bell tall clock, housed in a case attributed to RJ Horner - a popular furniture designer in the late 1800s - made $70,000. It features a mechanism by the Waltham Clock Company and was sold by Tiffany & Co.
 The brass dial is marked Tiffany & Co, New York |
An almost identical clock, featuring a case by RJ Horner but with a movement by Elite of Germany circa 1890, achieved $60,000.
A circa 1875 E Howard & Company astronomical regulator that stood in the office of the president of the New York Central Railroad for much of its history, made $49,000.
It features the silvered brass dial characteristic of the company's timepieces.
A recent sale saw an E Howard & Co astronomical regulator in a federal walnut case make $130,000.
A Ferrari Dino 246 GT classic car also featured in the present sale, selling for $180,000.
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