Lot 9
A fine and very rare early 20th century French grande sonnerie, centre seconds, repeating carriage clock with original travel case, key and paperwork L.Leroy et cie, Palais Royal, Paris, numbered 31760 and 15452 BIS 2
11 July 2018, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £6,875 inc. premium
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A fine and very rare early 20th century French grande sonnerie, centre seconds, repeating carriage clock with original travel case, key and paperwork
L.Leroy et cie, Palais Royal, Paris, numbered 31760 and 15452 BIS
The gorge case with large bevelled glass panels and repeat button over the signed cream enamel Roman dial with bold blued steel hands and centre seconds hand, the matted gilt mask further set with an Arabic alarm setting dial, the movement with substantial plates signed along the right hand edge of the backplate '154452 BIS L LEROY & CO 13 & 15 MONTPENSIER PALAIS ROYALE,' further signed on the silvered platform supporting the cut and compensated bi-metallic balance recessed into the platform and suspended on a helical hairspring, with micrometer regulation affected via a rack and pinion mounted on the backplate, the lacquered backplate with striped finish, with stamped number in the lower left hand corner 31760 and hand engraved in the centre 15452 BIS, chiming the hours and quarters on a pair of coiled blued steel gongs, with three-position selection lever to the underside labelled 'Sonnerie/Silence/Gde Sonnerie' in the original numbered (15452 Bis) case and numbered key (31760) 18cms (7ins) high. (2)
The gorge case with large bevelled glass panels and repeat button over the signed cream enamel Roman dial with bold blued steel hands and centre seconds hand, the matted gilt mask further set with an Arabic alarm setting dial, the movement with substantial plates signed along the right hand edge of the backplate '154452 BIS L LEROY & CO 13 & 15 MONTPENSIER PALAIS ROYALE,' further signed on the silvered platform supporting the cut and compensated bi-metallic balance recessed into the platform and suspended on a helical hairspring, with micrometer regulation affected via a rack and pinion mounted on the backplate, the lacquered backplate with striped finish, with stamped number in the lower left hand corner 31760 and hand engraved in the centre 15452 BIS, chiming the hours and quarters on a pair of coiled blued steel gongs, with three-position selection lever to the underside labelled 'Sonnerie/Silence/Gde Sonnerie' in the original numbered (15452 Bis) case and numbered key (31760) 18cms (7ins) high. (2)
Footnotes
This clock is sold with the original rating paperwork from Leroy & Cie from 1902. The first entry is dated November 29 and there follows another 30 entries noting various daily rates until January 9th (it was not recorded every day, December 25th for instance, was omitted, with the note 'Noel'). It further notes that the oil was changed and that at the end of the period, it was 6 seconds fast of Paris.
The back page of the certificate is dated 1908, five years later and notes that the clock is to be sent to Nice.
Derek Roberts illustrates a similar platform signed by Leroy which he describes as "particularly fine" in 'Carriage and other Travelling Clocks', Fig.13-2.
Additional information
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