ARTICLE - TIME TRAVELLER
Time is so important today that it’s difficult to imagine an era when knowing even an approximate hour was a rich man’s privilege, writes Grace Parry. Today all we have to do is glance at our wristwatch – or more commonly, the mobile phone. But before the watch was invented, how did people keep track of time when they were travelling? The short answer is that unless they were wealthy, they didn’t. For the privileged traveller, the carriage clock was developed. The first, very basic travelling French 8 day brass carriage clock with album and repeat, c.1880, from Abbott’s Antiques in Sydney. French clockmaker Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823) designed the first carriage clock - the pendule de voyage - in 1798. He sold it to General Napoleon Bonaparte just before he departed for the Egyptian campaign. The clock is believed to have had calendar functions and a gauge to display temperature levels, and as such it was a horological breakthrough. They may look refined, but by the very nature of their purpose carriage clocks were required to be quite rugged in order to withstand the rigours of travel and still be accurate. The early examples were spring run, with the spring requiring a significant amount of autonomy so that it could run for an extended length of time without requiring attention. Typically made of brass or other shiny metals, the carriage clock usually had a glass cover over the face of the clock that protected the mechanism but at the same time allowed for easy reading of the time. Often a leather or leather-covered wooden carry case was also provided; these featured open or glass-covered sides so the clock could still be read. In the mid-1830s, another Parisian clockmaker named Paul Garnier came up with a system of semi-mass production that allowed hundreds of carriage clocks to be exported around the world, using machine-made components and standardised parts. Practical in design and construction, they usually featured a plain white enamel dial and large, black Roman numerals with unadorned hands, making them easier to read in low light. The Garnier ‘chaff-cutter’ escapement was later introduced, helping to overcome time-keeping and regulatory problems. In the 1850s, a clockmaker named Henry Marc began producing high standard carriage clocks that were practically mass-produced. He employed makers of the ‘roulant blancs’ from St Nicholas d’Ailermont for the cases and completed the movements in his own workshops. Later in the nineteenth century, the industry was dominated by three main French makers: Drocourt, Jacot and Leroy. Henri Jacot is one of the most keenly collected carriage clock makers, with his timepieces recognised for their excellent quality and the inclusion of a number of features exclusive to his workshop; he has been described as ‘probably the best of the Paris producers of carriage clocks’ in his era. Typically, a Jacot carriage clock will have a thin inner ring around the inside of the chapter ring on the white enamel dial, and the trademark of a parrot on a perch on the backplate (a jacot is a French parrot) with the initials HJ on either side. However, because some of the top English retailers demanded that the trademark was left off the backplate and dial (the retailer’s own name was placed on there instead), some of the makers – including Jacot – would put a hidden stamp inside the movement. Which brings us to the movements themselves. They were produced in a number of variations, although almost always of an eight-day duration. The platform escapement was either a lever, as with the better quality models, or a cylinder for those clocks of lesser quality. Some carriage clocks had an alarm mechanism – usually with the bell set in the base – and would sound the hour and half hour. Some striking clocks were also fitted with a repeater, which meant if you pressed a button at the top of the case, the last hour would sound – very handy if you needed to know the time in the middle of the night. The complex examples, made for the very wealthy, might sound the quarters on two bells once at quarter past, twice at half past and three times at a quarter to (known as petite-sonnerie); or in the exact same manner, but with the addition of the last hour also sounding every quarter hour. This is known as grande-sonnerie, and this type of clock usually has a lever in the base that allows the choice of full strike, the quarters only, or silence. The barrels on these clocks are much larger than the average, to accommodate the extra striking. There were several basic styles of Brass cased French carriage clock, 8 day time only movement, from Bairnsdale Clocks in Victoria. Adaptations exist of all these case styles, including the obis, which is cheaper version of the corniche, and the cannalee, which is an adaptation of the gorge. Some styles also included porcelain dials and/or panels, and highly engraved cases. Clocks were made in which all sides were made entirely of glass, allowing the viewer to see into the workings; and for the more complicated examples, extra dials and information were added to the face of the clock. Although the French were the main manufacturers of carriage clocks, there were also several important English makers such as Dent, McCabe and Frodsham. Most used the fusee movement, and those made by the London makers are the most sought after. The more complicated the clock, the higher its original cost. If you’re in the market for a carriage clock, you’ll find the simple time-telling devices are the cheapest, followed by those that strike the hours. Repeaters, petite and grande sonnerie movements and calendar and moon features all add to the value of the clock. Gorge cases with their grooved, angled tops and bases normally add a premium, as do engraving and/or gilding, and the presence of an original travelling case; simple wear and tear dictates that few of these have survived. Porcelain or enamel panelling in good condition will also increase the value, although often the movement of these clocks is quite simple in contrast to their ornate appearance. This is because panelled clocks were sold more for their visual appeal than their mechanical function. Clocks of unusually large or miniature proportions are popular with collectors, with the latter often being only 8cm to 10cm high and usually of superior quality. Although as a functional timepiece the carriage clock was rendered obsolete almost one hundred years ago, there are still many collectors able to appreciate the skill and craftsmanship first developed more than two centuries ago, and the market for the carriage clock continues to thrive. After all, the digital clock on the microwave isn’t going to ring the quarter hour for you in melodic bells! This information first appeared in Issue 33 of Antiques and Collectables for Pleasure & Profit.
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clocks were introduced in the fifteenth century. By the time the carriage clock was
developed in the late 1790s, the travelling timepiece had become a very sophisticated, refined and expensive time teller.
case for the carriage clock. The type seen most commonly is known as the corniche –
rectangular, with corner feet and mouldings to the top and base, and a plain handle. The one-piece case features the main body cast from a single piece of metal, with a large glass top and clean lines; occasionally it will also have mouldings to the base corners.
The Anglaise case, which was developed by the French makers to appeal to the English market, has only plain ornamentation and straight edges. But the cream of the crop is the gorge case, which features a moulded base, top and corners, and usually has a
five-ribbed handle. It was the favourite case design of both Drocourt and Leroy.
