L.VRARD & Co, SHANGHAI, carriage clock with engraved and gilt Gorge case, with center-sweeping seconds hand,  second half of the 19th Century.

The silvered platform with English-type crabtooth escapement and cut bi-metallic balance wheel. Half-hourly rack strike on a silvered bell at the rear, with repeat button on top at the front of the case. Alarum on a bell situated below. Autonomy 8 days.

Enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours, with signature L.Vrard & Co, Shanghai. Breguet blued steel hands with a large center-sweeping seconds hand.

Finely engraved and gilt Gorge case with bevelled glass on five sides allowing for a good view of the movement from all sides, the retailer’s name in Chinese is indicated on the rear movement plate.

Carriage clocks with center-sweeping seconds hands are rare as this feature added complexity to their design. The Chinese market of the 19th Century was eager for them as this made the clock alive, as time was thus visible with the naked eye. Another unusual feature on this clock is the presence of TWO separate bells, for the strike and alarum, an unexpected refinement.

Dimensions

Height 19cm (7 ½”) with handle up, Width 9,5cm (3 ¾”), Depth 8,5cm (3 ¼”)

Bibliography

Charles Allix and Peter Bonnert, Carriage Clocks, their History and development, The Antique’s Collector’s Club, 1974.

Price

€ 6500.-

Pdf documents to download

  en français

  in English

  in het Nederlands