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A late 19th Century French Carriage Clock Signed Gabriel — view 1 of 4
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Clocks · Clock

A late 19th Century French Carriage Clock Signed Gabriel

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
LATE 19th century
Country of origin
France
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
brass, glass
Lot
Lot 209A5F4253
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 199, Precious Objects: Fine Silver & Works of Art, Curated Auctions (2026), via Invaluable
Catalogue title (original)
A LATE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH CARRIAGE CLOCK SIGNED GABRIEL (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Invaluable auction listings (lot Lot 209A5F4253), this is a clock, made in France, dated LATE 19th century. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: brass, glass. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Curated Auctions

the lacquered brass, Anglaise Riche style case with bevelled glass panels, with gothic tracery to the plinth and cornice, the white enamelled dial signed 'GABRIEL - LONDON FABRIQUE DE PARIS', the single train timepiece movement with balance wheel escapement, the glass to the top of the case loose, 17cm high handle up

Historical context

Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)

American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.

Factory production transformed the clock into an everyday object. American makers (Seth Thomas, Ansonia, Waterbury) and German factories (Junghans, Gustav Becker, Lenzkirch) sold millions of shelf, wall and alarm clocks worldwide; France produced standardised Paris movements and carriage clocks; electric time distribution began.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology

Atlas type guide

Carriage and travel clocks

The carriage clock is a portable spring clock with a balance-wheel escapement and a brass case with glass panels and a carrying handle. Abraham-Louis Breguet made early examples around 1800, and from the 1830s Paul Garnier and other French makers industrialised production, with the small towns of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont and the Franche-Comté supplying movements for retailers worldwide.

Typical features include a platform escapement mounted horizontally on top of the movement (usually a lever, sometimes cylinder or Garnier's chaff-cutter), striking or repeating work, and alarms. English carriage clocks, generally larger and with fusees, were made by firms such as Frodsham and Dent. Travel clocks in folding leather cases became popular in the twentieth century.

What to look for

  • A platform escapement visible through the top glass.
  • Case styles: corniche, gorge, anglaise, obis or engraved cases.
  • Repeat buttons on top and strike/silent levers.
  • Stamps of movement makers (e.g. Drocourt, Jacot, Margaine, Richard & Co.) on the backplate.

Dating clues

  • Early carriage clocks with Breguet or Garnier features: c. 1800–1850.
  • Mass-produced French carriage clocks: c. 1850–1914.
  • Folding travel clocks and alarm travel clocks: mostly 1920–1970.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Detached lever escapement

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