Antique (Charles) CH HOUR FRENCH CARRIAGE CLOCK in Excellent Working Condition

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Antique (Charles) CH HOUR FRENCH CARRIAGE CLOCK in Excellent Working Condition: Up for auction is an Antique French Carriage Clock made by Charles Hour of France and this beautiful, polished brass clock is in excellent working condition. There is a fair amount of information regarding the well know maker of this clock and from this information that I have researched, this clock dates right around the start of the 1900's. Charles Hour was founded in 1852 under the name Diette however the CH HOUR mark was not used until 1900 and the marking was used up until 1927 when the company became Hour Lavigne et Cie. As you will see in the photographs, this carriage clock is marked in (2) separate areas with CH. HOUR FRANCE and there are several areas (base, columns, door, interior) that have the number 19 punched into the brass which helps to insure that the parts of the case are completely original. This clock has an 8-Day, time only movement with a platform escapement & balance wheel which is visible through the top panel of thick beveled glass (in full motion pictured in photo #6). There are a total of 5 beveled glass panels on this clock and each of the panels are in great condition . Under certain shades of light, these beveled glass panels protrude an almost glowing aqua blue color around the beveled edges which is a fantastic compliment to this clock and unless you are inspecting the glass closely, there are no major scratches that stand out (small, light, sporadic scratches can be seen at close view) . There is one small chip on the back door's upper right corner panel but this is the only visible chip and there are no other cracks or major flaws in the glass and each of these 5 panels appear to be completely original to this clock. The brass housing has an exceptional polished shine to it but that was not the case when I discovered this clock. The previous owner had obviously taken great care of this clock and polished it fairly regularly because there was a fair amount of dried polish in all of the crevices. In order to remove this old dried polish, I re-polished the brass using a non-abrasive polish which helped reconstitute the old polish so that it could be cleaned away. I then gave the brass one final polish with the non-abrasive polish and reassembled the case. The brass is now glowing and there are no dents, dings or penetrating scratches in it but I did reveal some very small areas of what appears to be plating which leaves me wondering if this clock was once plated with a heavier brass finish or if these areas are simply spots that may have been more tarnished. Because I am not the original owner of this clock, I cannot say for certain if this clock was once indeed plated (with the plating polished away over the years - or not) however the brass is now in beautiful condition. The porcelain dial does have some moderate cracks towards the top of the dial and these are mostly concealed by the case but there are some light hairlines visible from the front. It appears that there was a small amount of dial cement applied to the top portion of the dial to prevent any further cracking and the integrity of the dial appears to be structurally sound. I have kept this clock wound and running since I have had it in my possession by using a universal clock key (not included in this auction) and I have noticed that the winding arbor is slightly canted (noticeable in picture #9) but this does not affect the ability to wind the clock whatsoever however I wanted to make sure that it was noted. Other than dusting the movement with some light compressed air, I have not polished or oiled the movement and the wheels and plates are also very clean and in excellent condition. If you have any further questions after reading the above description and inspecting the photographs that I have taken of this Antique Charles Hour Carriage Clock, please do not hesitate to send me a note prior to placing a bid. Case Measurements: Height: 6 1/4 inches (with the handle in the upright position) Width: 3 1/4 inches (widest point a... read more

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