carriage clock

French carriage clock

Special French carriage clock from the last quarter of the 19th century. This rare carriage clock has lighting in the form of candlelight in combination with a mechanical candle extinguisher.

It works as follows: if you were traveling in the late 19th century and you booked, for example, an overnight stay in a hotel, you had this travel clock with you, which was placed on the bedside table next to the bed. Before you went to bed you could set the alarm clock and the time at which the candle should go out. If you follow the photo report on the right, you will find it easier to follow what I describe. The settings for alarm clock and candle extinguisher can be seen below the large white enamel dial; on the left for the candle extinguisher setting and on the right for the alarm setting. You could then, for example, first read something in bed by the light of the candle. If you fell asleep while the candle was still burning, you did not have to worry about the burning candle and the possible fire hazard (something that was common in those times) because the candle was automatically extinguished mechanically. The photos show the point-shaped brass cap at the back left of the clock case.

The weekly movement has a striking mechanism and alarm that strike a spiral gong and a going train with Swiss quality escapement.
The movement no longer ran and was due for major maintenance that was carried out in-house, the result of which you can see in the photo report below.

At the request and in consultation with the customer, it was decided to leave the outside of the case and the dial untouched.