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French engraved carriage clock, c. 1865 — view 1 of 4
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Clocks · Carriage clock

French engraved carriage clock, c. 1865

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
c. 1865
Historical period
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
Country of origin
France
Object type
Carriage clock
Dimensions
Height 4.5 in (11 cm)
Dealer
P A Oxley (dealer), Wiltshire
Stock no.
Product 534
Credit line
Dealer listing, P A Oxley (product 534)
Catalogue title (original)
High quality French engraved carriage clock (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by P A Oxley (dealer), Wiltshire (stock number Product 534), this is a carriage clock, made in France, dated c. 1865. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Recorded dimensions: Height 4.5 in (11 cm). 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

Dealer description — P A Oxley

A delightfully small and high quality carriage clock with a fully engraved gilded brass case. Featuring an 8 day movement and striking and repeating the hours on a bell. Also retaining its original numbered carrying case and key. The circular enamel dial displaying Roman numerals and Breguet style steel blued hands. The main enamel dial is surrounded with a decorative gilt brass panel which offsets the white of the main dial. The movement is stamped H.L. who in the early days of carriage clock production were the main suppliers of ‘blanc roulant’ movements to the famous makers of the day such as Drocourt and Jacot. Delivery Free on mainland UK and guaranteed for 3 years.

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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