A rare Swiss mahogany pendule d’officier with sweep seconds and quarter striking, Robert, circa 1800

Description

Pendule d’officier

This a ‘pendule d’officier’ which is an early type of travel clock that was provided with an expensive case made of gilt bronze or exotic woods. Although the term translates to ‘officer’s clock’ it was not only used by the military but also by the upper echelon of society who afford one.
It was either the small demand or the small production which made that travel clocks were very rare before the second quarter of the nineteenth Century. From the clocks that have survived we can conclude that from 1760 on there was a small demand for travel clocks. Many of these early clocks are very individual in appearance and were probably executed with features bespoke beforehand by the client for which it was made. Around 1790 in the Jura, located in the border region of France and Switzerland, a production evolved that was more standardized. These clocks were made to be sold by others and to accommodate the wishes of potential clients these clocks were executed with many different features. With an alarm, repetition, quarter striking and the ability to switch the striking off, this clock has features that would appeal to many. But the week duration and special escapement make it very special and individual. It makes this clock not only an attractive to look at but also a technical marvel and special object into one.

Robert

The 9.5-cm enamel dial has Arabic numerals for the hours, surrounded by a minute band with quarter-hour marks. The center is signed Robert. The elegant hands are a variation on the Breguet type and are made, like the sweep seconds hand and the alarm-setting hand, of blued steel. The dial is surrounded by a finely chiseled gilt bezel.

Large Balance Wheel

This exquisitely conceived movement is driven by three springs and has a duration of one week. The beautiful and rare escapement has a large balance wheel that beats true seconds in combination with a Swiss anchor escapement. The movement has quarter striking with pull repeat on two bells. One can choose between “grande sonnerie” and “petite sonnerie” or turn off the striking mechanism entirely. Finally, the movement has an alarm that is wound from the front.

Mahogany

This rectangular mahogany case is made in the Empire style. The moulded top is surmounted by a hinged handle with serpent heads above a round window offering a view of the escapement. Both the front and back have hinged doors with convex glass. The moulded base is raised on gilt bronze claw feet. The lever for ‘grande-‘, ‘petite-sonnerie’ and ‘silence’ is fitted on the bottom.