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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Movement record · France

ATO battery-electric clock movement

Partially verified

Battery-driven electromagnetic clock movement

Technical specifications

Diameter
Clock movement; dimensions vary
Height
Not recorded in the sources consulted
Jewels
Unjewelled to minimally jewelled
Frequency
Pendulum or balance regulated by model
Power reserve
Battery life rather than mainspring reserve
Winding
Battery electric
Setting
Hand set
Escapement
Electromagnetic impulse
Balance
Pendulum or balance
Complications
Silent electric running

Identification features

  • ATO markings and a coil-and-magnet impulse arrangement

Known variants

  • Variants across the ATO range

Servicing notes

Cleaning, lubrication, mainspring and pivot work belong with a qualified watchmaker working from calibre-specific documentation. Conserve original parts: replacing a worn component with a modern substitute changes the object, and refinishing plates or dials destroys evidence.

General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.

Historical significance

An early commercially successful battery-electric clock system, bridging mechanical and electrical timekeeping.

Diagram

top plate or bridgespillar platebalance and cockwheel train between the plates
Schematic: plate and bridge layout. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
  2. Period trade material catalogues and calibre reference compilations (edition-dependent)
  3. Published manufacturer technical documentation where available

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