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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Clock type · Portable

8-Day Folding Travel Clocks

Partially verified

Folding clocks in leather cases, designed for travelers, often with a long duration.

Movement & mechanism

  • Lever escapement watch-style movement
  • Going barrel with an 8-day power reserve
  • Luminous hands and numerals in later versions

Identification

  • Folding leather case (often square or rectangular)
  • Winding crown at the top or bottom
  • Sturdy, shock-resistant construction

Terminology

  • Folding clock
  • Purse clock
  • 8-day movement

Known variations

  • Alarm and non-alarm versions

Collecting notes

Condition and originality are paramount. For technical clocks like regulators or atmospheric clocks, the completeness of the original mechanism is more important than case condition. For decorative clocks (Boulle, Empire), the quality of the case craft is central.

Related photographs

Matthew Norman carriage clock with winding key
Matthew Norman carriage clock with winding key — Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Matthew Norman carriage clock
Matthew Norman carriage clock — Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Carriage Clock MET 233549
Carriage Clock MET 233549 — Creator:Boston Clock Company, CC0. Wikimedia Commons file page

No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.

Sources & references

  1. Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
  2. Loomes, B., The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain
  3. Roberts, D., British Skeleton Clocks
  4. Museum catalogue records

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.