Clocks · Carriage clock
Carriage clock, London, c. 1845–1850
- Maker / attribution
- Unrecorded in source
- Date
- c. 1845–1850
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Carriage clock
- Materials / technique
- gilt
- Stock no.
- SKU 336
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 336)
- Catalogue title (original)
- HUNT & ROSKELL supplied by Thomas Cole. An exceptionally rare gilt engraved miniature carriage timepiece with malachite panels (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 336), this is a carriage clock, made in London, England, dated c. 1845–1850. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gilt. 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
An exceptionally rare gilt engraved miniature carriage timepiece with malachite panels to the sides and top made by Thomas Cole. The silvered dial is engraved with flowers and foliage within a similarly engraved rectangular mask. The chapter ring has Roman hour numerals and it has finely tapering blued steel hands. The rectangular plated movement has a lever escapement mounted on the backplate and a plain three arm balance. It is signed by the retailer Hunt and Roskell. The miniature jewel like case has malachite insets to the sides and top within the engraved gilt panels of flowers and vines. The solid opening back door is similarly engraved. The case stands on four gilt tapering bun feet and at the top there are four corner finials surmounted by a shaped engraved carrying handle. Height : 3 ⅜ in (8.5 cm) including handle Height : 2 ¾ in (7 cm) excluding handle Width : 2 ⅛ in (5.25 cm) Depth : 1 ½ in (3.75 cm) * This rare stunning little jewel of a clock has an almost double illustrated as Item 54 on page 149 of J.B. Hawkins’ book Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking . It is a very early prenumbered clock made by Thomas Cole and retailed by Hunt and Roskell. HW5957
Historical context
Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.
The age of the deadbeat escapement, compensated pendulums and observatory regulators. Domestic clocks spread through the middle classes: English longcase and bracket clocks, French gilt-bronze mantel clocks, Viennese Biedermeier wall clocks, Black Forest painted-shield clocks, and the first American shelf clocks.
Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Early Modern 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.
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