French Carriage Clock with Case, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
The clock belonged to my great-uncle, and he sent it to my mother before he died, saying that it had great value. And all we know about it is that it is a French carriage clock. He was a collector of many different antiquities, mostly barometers. He had a huge barometer collection, so I don't know if it was acquired somehow through...
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
...a dealer with that, I'm not sure.
APPRAISER:
Did he have other clocks, as well, or...?
GUEST:
No, not that he felt had the same value that this one did.
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST He sent it to my mother about 40 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Right. This is a French carriage clock. One of the great things about it is that it has its original carrying case.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And they also are referred to as travel clocks, because it's a clock that has a balanced spring mechanism in it, so it can travel without losing time. Like, a clock with a pendulum would need to be stable on a table.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And couldn't go over a bump without stopping.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
This is a fantastic original leather case, and they almost never hold up into this condition. Even has its original buckles on each side, brass buckles, and then it has a nice original brass handle that hasn't pulled off the top, which is really unusual. But this opens up, and the clock comes out. This clock is made circa 1890, and it's unsigned, but I do know that it's of French origin. And it's in a spectacular case. The case is called a gorge case, and it refers to these convex and concave moldings that you see around the case.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
And then this double-tiered top, which is another feature, and then the five divisions on the handle is another feature of a gorge case. Some of the finest carriage clocks were found in gorge cases like this.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
Also, another great feature is this white enamel dial. It's in perfect condition, it looks like the day it was made.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And that's a nice feature. Also, at the top, there's what we call an hour repeat button. So if this were at your bedside circa 1890, and you didn't want to light a candle, you could just reach over, press the button, and you would get the last hour that was struck. So it wouldn't tell you 2:30, but it would tell you that it was some time after 2:00 if it struck twice.
GUEST:
Oh, wow-- wow.
APPRAISER:
It's not overly complicated in terms of its complications-- it's just time and strike. In a lot of these clocks, what really drive price are added complications, like alarms and petite sonneries, and different type of striking functions. Just a wonderful piece to have. A clock like this would sell in a retail shop anywhere from $1,500 to $1,800.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh, that's incredible.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, yeah.
GUEST:
That's incredible. Wow.
APPRAISER:
Beautiful piece.
GUEST:
We love it.
Appraisal Details
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