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拍品专文
To date, only three carriage clocks made by Czapek are known, no. 4305, the present no. 5422, and no. 5447. No. 4305 is in a private London collection and no. 5447 was in an important Swiss collection until only a few years ago.
CARRIAGE CLOCKS
Carriage clocks are small portable clocks that can be easily moved. They are descendants of so-called coach watches which were popular during the entire 18th century1. At the end of the 18th century, Breguet introduced in Paris a new clock competing with coach watches, a portable clock, which, in time, was named a carriage clock.
Unlike coach watches that needed a hook to hang onto, carriage clocks could have been also desk clocks to be used in a coach and on a desk. Because of this versatility they quickly became popular and within twenty years surpassed coach watches.
First introduced in France carriage clocks continued to be produced there for about 150 years in many styles and with a variety of complications.
From the point of view of a traveler, a clock must strike the time, repeat the time on demand, and wake the owner up for another day of voyage. The present clock has all three of these features: the striking that can be heard in the grande form - hours and quarters at each quarter, or in the petite form - just quarters. It also has an option to stop the striking.
CARRIAGE CLOCKS IN PATEK PHILIPPE AND CZAPEK PRODUCTIONS
We found the first mention of a Patek or Czapek carriage clock in an 1845 letter from Patek to Jan Kozmian about two carriage clocks, C38 and C47. He does not provide details except that C38 had a square movement and C47 had a leather box2.
In 1851 a carriage clock was presented by Patek at the London Exhibition while he was already in partnership with Philippe and Gostkowski. The clock does not have a serial number. It was sold at auction in Geneva in 2000 for CHF86,0003 and is now in the Patek Philippe Museum.
This clock is quite similar to our clock, however with a different escapement and without the Grande Sonnerie, or full strike. In appearance, the present clock has an additional florally engraved gilt dial cover.
Clocks made by Patek as well as Czapek, together or on their own, are exceptionally rare. They were not in their repertoire and were made only for either very special clients or special events such as world exhibitions.
Watchmakers are more precise than clockmakers. Therefore, when a watchmaker gets into making a clock, his clock will often be more precise than the counterpart finished by a clockmaker. There is a well-known story of Thomas Earnshaw, a watch and chronometer maker, who was given a task of making a clock. He complained that he did not know anything about clocks though but when the clock was finished even the Royal Astronomer praised how exceptionally well it was done. Similarly, clocks by the watchmakers Patek or Czapek are finished with high watch precision.
THE CLOCK
It is glazed on all sides to view the movement. The movement is engraved with the same serial number as the dial. It comes with a double key, fitting perfectly and bearing the clock’s serial number and of an unusual shape. There is one other key like this one that is known belonging to Czapek’s regulator clock. It is virtually of the same shape and with the serial number of the clock engraved on it. It appears that this shape was Czapek’s fingerprint.
The movement has a platform with a lateral lever escapement with the pallet fork having inserted ruby pallets. The escapement is regulated by a bimetallic temperature compensating balance with gold adjustment screws.
Usually, these movements were manufactured in France and either sold as they came or were improved upon. This one falls clearly to the latter category. Interestingly, the serial number 172 of the movement is very low, suggesting that it might have been a special small-series production.
The case is of the so-called gorge style (grooved) which was used for the finest clocks4. The name comes from the case design in which both the base and the pillars are grooved.
Usually, the gorge-case clocks came with plain enamel dials. Only the best come with gold ones which usually meant they were engine turned. Very few were fitted with highly engraved dials, such as this clock. The dial is also unusual for another feature, it is the only known Czapek clock dial signed by him on the back “Czapek & Cie / 5422 / Paris & Geneve”.
It appears that Czapek signed his dials on the back only if he felt that the watch (or a clock) was exceptional.
We know this from an early miniature watch No. 489, signed Patek & Czapek, while Czapek was still in partnership with Patek and in charge of the production (see lot 173 in this auction). It was the earliest watch they made that was so small. Czapek, who worked on the watch himself, proudly signed his name on the reverse of the dial. Like in this clock.
The clock comes from the time when Czapek opened a branch in Paris (1860) at Rue Vendôme 23. The clock, in the French style, was one of his first ones for the French public. It is the second Czapek timepiece signed Paris & Genève5 ever known and one of the earliest ever sold in his new Paris branch.
1 Named so because they look like giant pocket watches.
2 Philip Poniz, Patek, Philippe, The Forgotten Beginnings, VOX, Geneva, Spring 2003, pp. 92-101
3 Antiquorum, October 15, 2000, lot 414.
4 Charles Allix, Carriage Clocks, England, 1974, p. 165.
5 No 1840, an elaborate fan with a watch, is signed Paris, just “Paris” without mentioning Geneva, suggesting that, although it was made early in Geneva, it was sold late in Paris.
CARRIAGE CLOCKS
Carriage clocks are small portable clocks that can be easily moved. They are descendants of so-called coach watches which were popular during the entire 18th century1. At the end of the 18th century, Breguet introduced in Paris a new clock competing with coach watches, a portable clock, which, in time, was named a carriage clock.
Unlike coach watches that needed a hook to hang onto, carriage clocks could have been also desk clocks to be used in a coach and on a desk. Because of this versatility they quickly became popular and within twenty years surpassed coach watches.
First introduced in France carriage clocks continued to be produced there for about 150 years in many styles and with a variety of complications.
From the point of view of a traveler, a clock must strike the time, repeat the time on demand, and wake the owner up for another day of voyage. The present clock has all three of these features: the striking that can be heard in the grande form - hours and quarters at each quarter, or in the petite form - just quarters. It also has an option to stop the striking.
CARRIAGE CLOCKS IN PATEK PHILIPPE AND CZAPEK PRODUCTIONS
We found the first mention of a Patek or Czapek carriage clock in an 1845 letter from Patek to Jan Kozmian about two carriage clocks, C38 and C47. He does not provide details except that C38 had a square movement and C47 had a leather box2.
In 1851 a carriage clock was presented by Patek at the London Exhibition while he was already in partnership with Philippe and Gostkowski. The clock does not have a serial number. It was sold at auction in Geneva in 2000 for CHF86,0003 and is now in the Patek Philippe Museum.
This clock is quite similar to our clock, however with a different escapement and without the Grande Sonnerie, or full strike. In appearance, the present clock has an additional florally engraved gilt dial cover.
Clocks made by Patek as well as Czapek, together or on their own, are exceptionally rare. They were not in their repertoire and were made only for either very special clients or special events such as world exhibitions.
Watchmakers are more precise than clockmakers. Therefore, when a watchmaker gets into making a clock, his clock will often be more precise than the counterpart finished by a clockmaker. There is a well-known story of Thomas Earnshaw, a watch and chronometer maker, who was given a task of making a clock. He complained that he did not know anything about clocks though but when the clock was finished even the Royal Astronomer praised how exceptionally well it was done. Similarly, clocks by the watchmakers Patek or Czapek are finished with high watch precision.
THE CLOCK
It is glazed on all sides to view the movement. The movement is engraved with the same serial number as the dial. It comes with a double key, fitting perfectly and bearing the clock’s serial number and of an unusual shape. There is one other key like this one that is known belonging to Czapek’s regulator clock. It is virtually of the same shape and with the serial number of the clock engraved on it. It appears that this shape was Czapek’s fingerprint.
The movement has a platform with a lateral lever escapement with the pallet fork having inserted ruby pallets. The escapement is regulated by a bimetallic temperature compensating balance with gold adjustment screws.
Usually, these movements were manufactured in France and either sold as they came or were improved upon. This one falls clearly to the latter category. Interestingly, the serial number 172 of the movement is very low, suggesting that it might have been a special small-series production.
The case is of the so-called gorge style (grooved) which was used for the finest clocks4. The name comes from the case design in which both the base and the pillars are grooved.
Usually, the gorge-case clocks came with plain enamel dials. Only the best come with gold ones which usually meant they were engine turned. Very few were fitted with highly engraved dials, such as this clock. The dial is also unusual for another feature, it is the only known Czapek clock dial signed by him on the back “Czapek & Cie / 5422 / Paris & Geneve”.
It appears that Czapek signed his dials on the back only if he felt that the watch (or a clock) was exceptional.
We know this from an early miniature watch No. 489, signed Patek & Czapek, while Czapek was still in partnership with Patek and in charge of the production (see lot 173 in this auction). It was the earliest watch they made that was so small. Czapek, who worked on the watch himself, proudly signed his name on the reverse of the dial. Like in this clock.
The clock comes from the time when Czapek opened a branch in Paris (1860) at Rue Vendôme 23. The clock, in the French style, was one of his first ones for the French public. It is the second Czapek timepiece signed Paris & Genève5 ever known and one of the earliest ever sold in his new Paris branch.
1 Named so because they look like giant pocket watches.
2 Philip Poniz, Patek, Philippe, The Forgotten Beginnings, VOX, Geneva, Spring 2003, pp. 92-101
3 Antiquorum, October 15, 2000, lot 414.
4 Charles Allix, Carriage Clocks, England, 1974, p. 165.
5 No 1840, an elaborate fan with a watch, is signed Paris, just “Paris” without mentioning Geneva, suggesting that, although it was made early in Geneva, it was sold late in Paris.