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Repeater Waterbury Carriage Clock a circa 1900 Wa — view 1 of 4
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Clocks · Clock

Repeater Waterbury Carriage Clock a circa 1900 Wa

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
WATERBURY (maker)
Date
c. 1900
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Clock
Lot
Item 14520712
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 231G, Dec. 4th Art, Silver, Furn & Antiques Auction, Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions (2012), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
REPEATER WATERBURY CARRIAGE CLOCK A circa 1900 Wa (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 14520712), this is a clock by WATERBURY, dated c. 1900. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Clocks collection. 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

Lot description — Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions

REPEATER WATERBURY CARRIAGE CLOCK A circa 1900 Waterbury repeater carriage clock with key; 4.5"H x 3.25"W x 2.5"D; clock is not running

Historical context

Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)

The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.

Between 1900 and 1945 clocks were electrified: master-clock systems ran factories and offices, synchronous mains clocks entered homes, and the Shortt free-pendulum clock set new standards of accuracy before the first quartz clocks (1927). Art Deco design reshaped mantel and table clocks.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution

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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