Clock type · Portable
Carriage Clocks
VerifiedSmall portable spring-driven clocks in glazed brass cases with a carrying handle, regulated by a platform lever or platform balance escapement rather than a pendulum.
Movement & mechanism
- Platform escapement mounted horizontally on top of the movement, visible through a glazed top panel
- Going-barrel spring drive, usually with a repeat or alarm mechanism in higher grades
- Case of brass with bevelled glass panels on four or five sides ('one-pane', 'five-pane' cases)
Identification
- Platform escapement visible under a glazed aperture in the top plate distinguishes carriage clocks from most other mantel forms
- A folding carrying handle on top of the case is characteristic
- Numbered movement plates and maker's stamps on the backplate assist attribution
Terminology
- Platform escapement — a self-contained balance-and-lever escapement unit mounted on the movement
- Anglaise/Corniche case — named French case styles
- Grande sonnerie carriage clock — one that strikes hours and quarters automatically as well as on demand
Known variations
- Timepiece (time-only) carriage clock
- Striking/repeating carriage clock
- Grande sonnerie carriage clock
- Calendar carriage clock
Collecting notes
French carriage clocks are widely collected and graded by case style and complication (plain time, striking, repeating, grande sonnerie, calendar). Attribution to specific Parisian ateliers is possible via case and movement stamps in many, but not all, cases.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Allix, C. and Bonnert, P., Carriage Clocks: Their History and Development
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.