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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Clock · Electric wall clock

Magnéta, Brillié Frères Electric Wall Clock on Marble Plate

Partially verified

This catalogued item is an electric wall clock by Magnéta and Brillié Frères mounted upon a marble backplate within a front-glazed wooden case. The dial features white enamel with Roman numerals, blued hands, and a prominent red central seconds hand. Below the dial assembly hangs a pendulum ending above an electromagnetic coil and horseshoe magnet assembly. According to the auctioneer, the enamel dial shows cracks, the movement is partially dismantled, and the mechanism requires repair.

Front view of the Magnéta / Brillié Frères electric wall clock in its glazed wooden case
Front view of the Magnéta / Brillié Frères electric wall clock in its glazed wooden case — Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.invaluable.com
Category
Clock · Electric wall clock
Maker / attribution
Magnéta, Brillié Frères
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
873
Source-reported date
Not established
Country
Not established

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Case and Mounting Construction

The clock is documented in the auction catalogue as an electric wall clock on a marble plate housed within a front-glazed wooden case ("elektrische Wanduhr auf Marmorplatte mit frontverglastem Holzkasten"). Its overall height is listed in the source description as 45 cm ("H = 45 cm").

Direct visual observation confirms that the white marble plate is set inside a glazed rectangular wooden frame. The mechanical and electrical assemblies are mounted to the marble slab, with the dial assembly positioned above and the pendulum system extending downward.

Evidence for this section
  • “elektrische Wanduhr auf Marmorplatte mit frontverglastem Holzkasten”
  • “H = 45 cm”
  • “White marble plate is set inside a glazed rectangular wooden frame.”

Dial and Inscriptions

The clock is fitted with an enamel dial, blued hands, and a red center seconds hand, recorded in the cataloguing as "Emailzifferblatt (Risse), gebläute Zeiger, rote Zentralsekunde". The cataloguer explicitly notes that cracks are present in the enamel dial.

Observation of the dial face indicates that it features black Roman numerals, with the name "MAGNÉTA" positioned above center and "BRILLIÉ FRÈRES" marked below the center arbor.

Evidence for this section
  • “Emailzifferblatt (Risse), gebläute Zeiger, rote Zentralsekunde”
  • “White dial bears black Roman numerals with 'MAGNÉTA' above center and 'BRILLIÉ FRÈRES' below.”

Pendulum Assembly and Movement Condition

Visible observation records that the pendulum bob hangs and swings over a curved magnet and wire coil mounted at the base of the marble backplate.

According to the auctioneer's listing, the movement is partially dismantled and requires repair ("Werk teilzerlegt, reparaturbedürftig"). The internal movement components, reverse of the marble plate, and electrical connections are not fully detailed or tested in the provided record.

Evidence for this section
  • “Visible pendulum bob swings over a curved magnet and wire coil mounted at the base of the marble backplate.”
  • “Werk teilzerlegt, reparaturbedürftig”

Open research questions

  • What specific components of the movement are disassembled or missing under the cataloguer's description 'Werk teilzerlegt'?
  • What was the commercial relationship between Magnéta and Brillié Frères on this co-branded dial model?
  • What operating voltage and battery setup were specified to power the horseshoe magnet and coil drive?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Magnéta, Brillié Frères Electric Wall Clock on Marble Plate
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Height45 cm“H = 45 cm”
Movement ConditionPartially dismantled, in need of repair“Werk teilzerlegt, reparaturbedürftig”
Dial FeaturesEnamel dial (cracks), blued hands, red center seconds“Emailzifferblatt (Risse), gebläute Zeiger, rote Zentralsekunde”
Case and MountingMarble plate with front-glazed wooden case“elektrische Wanduhr auf Marmorplatte mit frontverglastem Holzkasten”
Lot Number873“Lot 873 : Magnéta, Brillié Frères, electric wall clock on marble plate”
Auctioneer Internal Reference1835/3“(1835/3)”

Visible details

  • White marble plate is set inside a glazed rectangular wooden frame.
  • White dial bears black Roman numerals with 'MAGNÉTA' above center and 'BRILLIÉ FRÈRES' below.
  • Visible pendulum bob swings over a curved magnet and wire coil mounted at the base of the marble backplate.

Research qualifications

  • Source notes movement is partially disassembled ('Werk teilzerlegt') and requires repair.
  • Internal movement details and case reverse are not pictured.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Sold at Auction: Magnéta, Brillié Frères, electric wall clock on marble plate

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 91c3d94b2c

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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