Please see the pictures below the description
You are bidding on a nice quality, 8 day French brass key wind bell striking carriage clock, which is in a gilded brass Gorge case. There is no maker or place of origin on it, but from its style and method of manufacture, it is definitely French, probably dating from the late 1800s, or possibly the early 1900s. It is fitted with its original compensated lever escapement on a silvered platform. It strikes the hours in full, and the half hour with a single strike, the striking being on a bell inside the rear door. Although the clock has been completely dismantled and overhauled, the case has been left with its original laquered gilded finish as this is very good, and it would have spoilt the clock by re-polishing it. Naturally, there are some age related marks on the case, although when viewing the clock it looks far better than in the pictures, as the digital photography tends to enhance any marks or blemishes, giving them a brown colour.
The clock has had a very full service which involved being fully dismantled, including the platform escapement (jewels removed for cleaning where possible), then having both a manual and ultrasonic clean. After it was checked and had all necessary work done on it, it was re-assembled and oiled. It is now in excellent mechanical condition, running well, and keeping good time. When stripped down, both springs were naturally removed from their barrels - the time spring was badly damaged and distorted, so was replaced with a new one. The mainspring is the 'heart' of your clock, so it is important that it is serviced properly - this also applies to the strike spring. There are seven pictures at the end of the listing which show the movement assembled before being put back into its case. There are also a further three pictures showing the movement in parts (balance still assembled). The clock runs for its full length of wind which is in the region of eight days. There are naturally a few very light age related marks and scratches on the movement, but in general it is in very good cosmetic condition. It comes with a double ended brass carriage clock key - this is quite an old English key, but not the original. The clock is wound and set by the key through the glazed back door. The original enamel dial is mounted on a separate dial plate and is in excellent condition, apart from some very faint underglaze hairlines at the top right and a small shallow flake top left. Being at the top of the dial and extremely light, they are hardly noticeable. All glasses are bevelled, including the top oval one, and are in perfect condition with no chips. The heavy Gorge gilded brass case, which, as mentioned earlier, has not been re-polished, has, however, been fully dismantled and treated with special wax to give a further protection to the laquered finish. The case has a nice tight handle, and the back door closes nicely as it should. The clock is substantially made and is heavy, weighing just under 1.5kg. It stands approximately 13.1/2cm tall to the top of the case, and is around 17cm tall to the top of the handle when it is up. Base width and depth are approximately 9cm and 8cm respectively. This is a very nice looking, good quality clock, that is in excellent mechanical condition, and should give many more years of reliable service.
I have tried to be very accurate with my description and mention everything I feel the buyer should know, however, please contact me if you have any further questions. The clock will come with a service report showing what work has been done on the movement, and I will also enclose a set of my clock information sheets, written generally to cover the set-up and maintenance of most types of clock. I will always be happy to give extra specific information if needed.
UK mainland 24 hour shipping will be by DPD - the clock will be securely packed to ensure that it reaches you in perfect condition. I welcome overseas bidders, but because of its weight when securely packed, it will have to go by carrier. Price will depend on your location - I have given sample prices of £15.00 for Germany and £36.00 for the USA. Please contact me before bidding for a shipping price. Item No. KMW1532
If you are bidding on any of my other auctions, I will combine postage on multiple items.
Items paid for by Paypal will only be sent to the Paypal verified address. All UK items will be sent, unless otherwise stated, by Royal Mail 1st Class Recorded. All items, if under the maximum weight limit of 2kg when packed, will be sent overseas by Royal Mail Airmail International 'Signed For' service unless otherwise stated. Items are now sent this way to conform to eBay/Paypal regulations that safeguard both the buyer and the seller. This can make the shipping charge, particularly for overseas bidders, higher than possibly expected as the Recorded/Signed For service adds to the UK postage, particularly to the overseas postage. I can accept no responsibility in the very rare event that items get lost in the post, but I will endeavour to do all I can to help the buyer by contacting Royal Mail and getting them to do the necessary search. Please be aware that it is illegal to falsify the value or contents on Customs documentation and under no circumstances will I do this. Overseas buyers are responsible for all duties and taxes, if applicable, that are levied by their Customs.
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