‘Dent’ Grande-Sonnerie repeating 8-day Carriage Clock in Gorge case

A fine quality late 19th century French 8-day Grande-Sonnerie striking and repeating brass Carriage Clock in a ‘Gorge’ style case.

The Serial number on the backplate is ‘2600’.

The 8-day movement retains its original platform lever escapement, visible through the rectangular bevelled glass inspection top. It features a correction lever for accurate adjustment and strikes hours, and quarters on two gongs. The three-position switch on the underside allows for three different striking options. Either, i) Striking Hours and Quarters (Grande Sonnerie); ii) Quarters only (Petit Sonnerie); or iii) Silent. The strike is on two gongs, one for Hours and the other for Quarters. The clock repeats striking at will by depressing the button on the top. The white enamel dial has Roman numerals, rectangular 5-minute markers and blued steel ‘moon’ style hands. There are no chips or cracks to either dial or bevelled glass panels.

This clock bears the mark of Dent, of 33 Cockspur Street, London on the dial, with the words “Examined by DENT, 33 Cockspur Street, London”. However the movement is engraved Paris to the rear. Dent is known to have imported carriage clocks from Paris and in particular from Alfred and Pierre Drocourt to be sold under the Dent name. Whilst there is no Drocourt stamp in this case, there are features (an’arrow’ and the word ‘Paris’ etched around the hand-adjustment pillar) on the brass backplate in the same manner as for known Drocourt clocks.

This clock comes complete with a ‘leather-effect’ travel case and a key.

Dimensions:  Stands 7 inches tall (with handle up); Width: 4 inches: Depth: 3.25 inches (18 x 10 x 8.3 cm)

Date: c.1870-90