~ Circa 1895 Fine French Diette Hour Carriage Alarm Clock ~
The white enamel chapter ring has Arabic numerals and minute markers with a stunning gilt finish with fine filigree work to the centre. There is a subsidiary dial below for the alarm setting.
It has bevelled glass to all four sides and the top. There is also a lovely shaped handle to the top which sets it off nicely and the four corners have beautifully detailed reeded pillars and four finials to the corners of the top.
The movement is stamped D. H., this being the trademark for Diette Hour.
It comes with its double ended key for setting the time and alarm, and for winding the movement.
~ Diette Hour ~
Charles Victor Hour, one of the co-founders of Hour Lavigne which still produces some of the finest and most spectacular clocks today, began as an apprentice at 11 years of age. Twenty years later, he bought out a failing manufacture and in 1891 took on an associate – Diette. Together they became one of the most important clock makers in France. Hour then associated himself with Maurice Lavigne and by the end of the XIX C, Hour Lavigne was the largest clock and timepiece manufacturer in France with over 800 employees. During the years of association with Diette, most of the models produced reflected the styles and taste of the period, including small carriage clocks with a visible escapement and balance wheel.
~ Condition ~
The clock has been recently serviced and is in good working order.
There is a hairline crack to the chapter ring at the 5 o’clock position. Otherwise, the clock is in excellent cosmetic condition.
~ Dimensions ~
The clock is 15 cm (6 inches) tall with the handle extended. It is 7.5 cm (3 inches) wide and 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) deep.
It weighs 0.972 Kg
#9904