French Clocks

Japy Freres introduced the the Ebauche clock, which had standard parts and each clock piece was machine made but unassembled in 1776. The Ebauche clock was made in France until around 1930.

French antique clocks has exceptional quality and craftmanship, especially around the turn of the century. Many classic examples of olf French clocks can be found in museums all over the world. Collectors prize French clocks for their attention to detail. Many antique clocks can be found on eBay. Be sure to buy carefully. Most collectible French clocks will only have marking of the maker inside the case.

When many people think of French time keeping devices, they may first think of watch makers such as Cartier, but did you know France has a long and rich clock making history as well French antique clocks really became all the rage in about the eighteenth century during the time King Louis the Fourteenth (the Sun King) occupied the royal throne. Clocks from the early 1700`s were a site to behold as they were covered in ornate details made of gilded bronze and tortoiseshell. One of the most beloved clock styles of the era was known as the 'pedules religieuse'. These fine pieces normally featured a rectangular movement which was suspended on the rear side of a velvet-covered dial. They also usually contained a crown wheel and verge escapement with a short pendulum suspended on a silk thread.

French clockmakers were similar to their British colleagues in that they produced a large variety of bracket clocks from about 1710-1760, but the French makers distinguished their clocks with much more ornate ornamentation on the clock cases. They also produced a small quantity of long case clocks which were engineered to with the highest precision and accuracy.

No history of 18th Century French clock-making is complete though, without mentioning the most popular models of the time which were the famous table clocks. These clocks served as mantels in French homes and were adorned richly with sculptures and cast statues of people, animals, and other objects, all carved out in 3 dimensional beauty. Some also included enameled flowers around the case. French table clocks usually had a circular dial crafted from enamel and a clock mechanism enclosed in a cylindrical canister.