For sale here is a very rare laminated mahogany propeller manufactured for the Bristol aircraft manufacturing company for fitting their Jupiter V111 F propeller into a variety of aircraft.

A sympathetic conversion has been completed to transform this propeller into a stylish chiming mantle clock using a well-respected Smith’s clock of the same manufacturer, both of which are generally dated from the mid to late 1930’s.  The face has a diameter of 15cm with Arabic numerals upon a 12-hour face with all markings and stylish hands finished in gloss black.

The clock has an eight-day movement and chimes the hour and half hour on a gong that is keeping good time with s pleasing tick. Naturally supplied with key and pendulum.

The propeller is made of laminated mahogany, with both blades cropped after it came to the end of its useful life.  It sits in a cradle of two mahogany supports, that unfortunately covers the stamped details of the propeller which are RG  NO  Z  201  - LINE 2: - JUPITER  V111  F – a photograph of which is supplied within the description.  The details of which are printed later within the description, should these details be of equal interest.  The propeller is highly polished and displays beautifully, a real talking piece with a fascinating historic record, some of which have been reproduced for your record.

Around the circumference of the clock face are what appears to be two sizes of ball bearings used to block the mounting holes where the propeller would be attached to the rotary engine.  So many securing bolts would have been absolutely necessary purely because of the power of the rotary engine this propeller would have been attached to.

Measurements of the piece are as follows: -

Height 33cm – 13”

Width 53cm – 21”

Depth 10cm – 4 “       

Stand width – 24cm – 91/2”

Stand depth - 10cm – 4”

The weight of the piece is over 10kg which is not a surprise, given the power a radial engine needs to perform, especially with a 7.63 ft diameter prop powering the aircraft with the forces upon the propeller at almost unbelievable levels.

A superb display piece of aeronautical interest, with lovely text and layered wood, structurally sound and all in all, in superb condition.

The wooden propeller displays the markings "RG NO Z 201 JUPITER V111 F" that appears to be associated with the new Bristol Jupiter V111 F engine, a 14-cylinder, aluminium head, two-row radial engine developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. 

The Bristol Jupiter series, including the V111 F variant, was widely used in various aircraft during the 1930s and 1940s, powering models such as the Fairey Fox, Avro Anson, and other military and civil aircraft.  From recorded examples, I believe there is a missing letter where the gong has been anchored, destroyed when making room to secure the gong and believe the letter to be D.  Therefore, the first line should read “DRG NO Z 201" designation likely refers to a specific drawing number and serial number for the propeller, where "Z" may indicate the designer, possibly the Airscrew Company of Great Britain, as seen in similar historical propeller markings.

While the exact aircraft model for this specific propeller is not directly stated in the provided results, the Bristol Jupiter V111 F engine was commonly used in aircraft such as the Fairey Fox and other biplanes of the 1930s and 1940s.

The propeller itself would have been constructed from high-quality wood, potentially laminated with resorcinol glue for strength and durability, a common practice for wartime and high-performance aircraft propellers. While the specific model "RG NO Z 201" is not directly detailed in the provided results, the Bristol Jupiter V111 F engine was known to use wooden propellers with a diameter around 7.63 feet (approximately 92 inches).  POSTAGE VIA DPD