c.1816 Rare Jump-Hour Mantel Clock by Breguet, No. 1903.
Period French
Inv. #: p306
Maker: Breguet
Circa: 1816
Size: 11 in tall.
Price on request
Rare Early 19th century Breguet jump-hour mantel clock.
Case
The simple Breguet style rectangular mahogany case has a slide out back door, a decorative ormolu bezel and silk covered holes in the base.
Dial
The white porcelain dial is signed by the maker, Breguet, has indecipherable marks on the reverse, has Arabic numbers for the hours and has finely steel-cut Breguet-style hands. The winding arbor is located under the bezel and below the 6.
Movement
The eight-day time and strike movement has a single spring that drives both trains, rectilinear plates with a D-shape at the bottom where it is engraved 'Breguet et Fils, No 1903' and long screws that secure the movement to brackets mounted to the front of the case. It has a repeat lever out the bottom of the case and strikes the hours and half-hour on a bell. The silk thread suspension is adjusted for fast/slow out the dial and has a pendulum with a blued steel rod and a brass bob. There are two hold-downs for the pendulum. One spring loaded and one that clamps the pendulum between two shaped caliper arms that are locked together by a knurled knob. The time is adjusted by a knurled knob off the backplate. The normal motion work has been replaced by an ingenious system designed by Breguet that incorporates fewer moving parts and also allows the hands to be adjusted forwards or backwards without going out of synch.
