A very rare travelling clock, a ‘Pendule’ with a jumping central second hand, circa 1870, marked ‘Gleizes’
Key facts
- Production time
- around 1870
- Country of manufacture
- France
Description
Rare travelling clock, ‘Pendule’, with a jumping central second hand, circa 1870, marked ‘Gleizes’ The simple brass case is fitted with faceted glass panes all round; these are undamaged except for the upper oval pane (which is chipped on the right-hand edge, see photographs). The movement features an anchor escapement and a jumping central second hand (Seconde Morte, where the hand jumps from second to second); the second hand is driven by a separate mechanism. This watch may well be a journeyman’s piece, possibly by the named watchmaker; the movement has some design flaws; for instance, the mainspring barrel for the jumping seconds is undersized, which occasionally causes the small flag – released by the escape wheel every second – to stall or become jammed on a tooth of the escape wheel (tooth tip against flag tip); however, the watch resumes running once it has been given a little help to start. The enamelled dial with Roman numerals is inscribed with: Gleizes. Dimensions: Height: 14 cm (17.5 cm including the handle) Width: 9.5 cm Depth: 8.5 cm A matching key is included in the offer.