Clocks · Carriage clock
Striking repeating carriage clock by Dwerrihouse & Bell
- Maker / attribution
- Dwerrihouse & Bell (maker)
- Date
- c. 1850
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- England
- Object type
- Carriage clock
- Dimensions
- Height 14 cm
- Stock no.
- Product 3293
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, The Antique Clock Company (product 3293)
- Catalogue title (original)
- STRIKING REPEATING CARRIAGE CLOCK – DWERRIHOUSE & BELL (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by The Antique Clock Company (dealer), Dorset (stock number Product 3293), this is a carriage clock by Dwerrihouse & Bell, made in England, dated c. 1850. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Recorded dimensions: Height 14 cm. The record is illustrated with 3 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 — The Antique Clock Company
This exquisite French gilt brass carriage clock exemplifies elegance and quality, showcasing a polished gilt brass frame with bevelled glass panels and a prominent inspection window on top. Its clean white enamel dial, signed by the prestigious Dwerrihouse & Bell, 15 Mount Street, Beardsley Square, London , is elegantly adorned with Roman numerals and original, finely blued steel hands. The clock’s 8-day striking and repeating movement is meticulously crafted, complete with its original silvered Swiss lever platform escapement and a compensated bi-metallic balance. Each hour is announced with a resonant strike on a gong, complemented by a single chime on the half-hour. This impressive timepiece combines refined aesthetics with superior craftsmanship, making it a standout piece for discerning collectors. Height: 5 ½ or 14 cm
Provenance
Private collection, UK
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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