James Stratton
Director
Lot 29*
A fine late 18th century French ormolu 'Pendule d'Officier' travel clock
2 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£2,300 - £3,200
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Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
A fine late 18th century French ormolu 'Pendule d'Officier' travel clock
The case surmounted by a heart-shaped carrying handle over a sloping top with fluted decoration, the front applied with finely chased and cast laurel leaf mounts, the sides with unusual floral burst mounts depicting leaves and budding foliage, the back with a glazed observation window, all raised on four decorated bun feet. The 3.5-inch white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and red Arabic five-minute markers, fitted with finely made gilt brass hands. The movement with cylinder platform escapement, striking the hours and half hours on a pair of polished bells mounted to the back plate, striking via a count wheel and repeating through a rack and snail mechanism, currently ticking and striking. 21cms (8ins) high.
Footnotes
A Pendule d'Officier, or "officer's clock," refers to a type of portable and durable travel clock developed in the late 18th century, reputedly by Abraham-Louis Breguet for Napoleon Bonaparte. Designed for use by his officers during military campaigns, these clocks combined practicality with refinement—typically featuring an elegant ormolu (gilt-bronze) case, a carrying handle, and a finely executed dial. Regarded as the forerunners of the modern carriage clock, they were engineered to maintain precision and reliability even under the demanding conditions of travel and campaign life.