
Clocks · Carriage clock
French carriage clock by Henri Jacot, Paris, c. 1895
- Maker / attribution
- Henri Jacot (maker)
- Date
- c. 1895
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- France
- Place
- Paris
- Object type
- Carriage clock
- Dimensions
- Height 6 in (15 cm)
- Stock no.
- Product 41
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, P A Oxley (product 41)
- Catalogue title (original)
- A late 19th century French carriage clock by Henri Jacot of Paris (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by P A Oxley (dealer), Wiltshire (stock number Product 41), this is a carriage clock by Henri Jacot, made in Paris, France, dated c. 1895. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Recorded dimensions: Height 6 in (15 cm). The record is illustrated with 5 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 — P A Oxley
A very original Henri Jacot French carriage clock of 8 day duration and standing at just under 6 inches high in the Gorge case style. Striking the hour and half hour on a gong, repeating at will and with it's original lever escapement. Also retaining what appears to be its original leather travelling case but in quite a tired condition. After some gentle cleaning virtually all of the original gilding has been retained. Movement fully serviced and guaranteed for 3 years. The Jacot family of Clockmakers were highly accomplished, successful and prolific Clockmakers working in Paris during the second half of the 19th century. Maker Henri Jacot of Paris
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.
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