Carriage clock, France, ca. 1900

Lot description — Setdart Auction House

Carriage clock; France, c. 1900. Silver-plated and chiseled bronze. Measurements: 17 x 9 x 8 cm. Carriage clock with a rectangular case featuring architectural lines, a folding handle with fretwork detailing, and engraved decoration of plant motifs. The front is framed by two fluted columns with Corinthian capitals and is decorated with rich engravings of scrolls, acanthus leaves, and flowers. The base is molded with a frieze of engraved flowers, resting on corbel feet. The carriage clock originated in France in the early 19th century. Its creation is attributed to Abraham-Louis Breguet, who produced travel clocks for Napoleon around 1812. Its metal case, with glass sides and a top handle, was designed to meet a specific need: to transport an accurate clock on a journey without damaging the mechanism—hence its name, derived from the horse-drawn carriages in which people traveled. Production reached its peak in the second half of the 19th century, particularly in the workshops of Paris and the French Jura region (Saint-Nicolas-d’Aliermont), at firms such as Drocourt, Margaine, and Duverdrey & Bloquel. The most luxurious models featured silver or gilded bronze cases, engraved or enameled, and included complications such as hour and quarter-hour chimes, a minute repeater, or an alarm. The aesthetic of this case, featuring Corinthian columns and elaborate floral engraving, reflects the historicist taste of the era. Its success was such that English and Swiss watchmakers also produced them, and they remained in production until the early decades of the 20th century.