Object Description
An excellent French gorge cased grande sonnerie carriage clock, the dial signed for the retailer DENT, 33 COCKSPUR STREET, LONDON.E J Dent (and later MF Dent) traded from these premises in Cockspur Street from 1843 – c.1861.
The re-gilded gorge case with pinched corners has a large top glass to view the platform.
The movement retains its original lever platform escapement of exceptional high quality. The silvered platform is engine-turned on both sides, with a polished silvered end-piece. Its unusual design is identical to that illustrated on P.118 of Allix & Bonnert’s Carriage Clocks and Their Developments, which belongs to Drocourt grande sonnerie clock, no. 28436.
The condition of the case and all five bevelled glasses is perfect.
The eight day movement has a selection lever in the base for Gde Sonnerie / Silence / Pte Sonnerie.
With the Grande Sonnerie option you have the quarter, half and three-quarter hour ting-tang striking on two gongs following the hour strike.
The petite sonnerie option gives a ting-tang strike on the quarters, with the hour (on one gong) only at the full hour.
The backplate bears the serial number 8370, and the base of the case is stamped with the same serial number.
The perfect white enamel dial is set into a satin gilt mask – it has Arabic numerals within a minute track, over a small alarm dial below, also with arabic numerals.