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Carriage clock by Jules Brunelot, Paris, c. 1880 — view 1 of 2
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Clocks · Carriage clock

Carriage clock by Jules Brunelot, Paris, c. 1880

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Jules Brunelot (maker)
Date
c. 1880
Country of origin
France
Place
Paris
Object type
Carriage clock
Materials / technique
gilt
Dimensions
Height 17.5 cm
Stock no.
SKU 478
Credit line
Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 478)
Catalogue title (original)
JULES BRUNELOT. A good 19th century French gilt engraved carriage clock. (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 478), this is a carriage clock by Jules Brunelot, made in Paris, France, dated c. 1880. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gilt. Recorded dimensions: Height 17.5 cm. The record is illustrated with 2 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

Dealer description — Howard Walwyn

A good 19 th century French gilt engraved carriage clock, the 8-day movement with hour strike and repeat on a bell and the rectangular white enamel dial with Roman hour numerals and original blued steel spade hands. There is also a subsidiary dial for the alarm setting. Height : 5 ¼ in (17.5 cm) excluding handle * The backplate is stamped B most probably for Brunelot and a further stamp for Médaille d’or à Paris 1827 . Brunelot was a highly regarded clockmaker who is listed on page 434 of Charles Alix’s book Carriage Clocks: Their History and Development . This fine quality clock was made for the English-speaking market HW6077

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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