Jacot-Baveux and Charles Frodsham: A Fine Gorge Carriage Clock

A Gorge carriage clock retailed by the famous chronometer maker Charles Frodsham, 84 Strand, London and firmly attributable to the Alfred Baveux workshops of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont being near-identical in its production to the finest clocks supplied by Baveux to Jacot of Paris, having double-finned dial pillars, steel under-dial work, the distinctive Baveux movement layout and engraved hand setting arrow as used by them. Jacot number 777 is a known recorded example signed in the same manner on the dial for Chas. Frodsham and it is obvious in its manufacture as coming from the same workshop.

​​The distinctive escapement was supplied and fitted by the Charles Frodsham workshop and has a finely engraved platform of quite superior quality as would be expected from this source. The engraving of the balance cock and aspects of the rest of the platform match that seen on watches from the Frodsham workshops. The practice of the top London retailers buying-in clocks from the French carriage clock makers and then fitting them with their own platforms is not unknown and examples have been noted retailed by T. Martin of 151 Regent Street, having been fitted to Baveux/Jacot clock number 1148, and their near-neighbours Henry Capt who placed their own platforms on carriage clocks supplied by Drocourt.

​The eight-day duration movement strikes the hours and half-hours on a gong with a push button to allow a repeat of the last hour at will. The backplate is stamped with the serial number 1552 with the inside of the frontplate stamped with the blanc roulant number for Alfred Baveux, 402, which corresponds to the sequence of Jacot/Baveux carriage clocks on my database. The white enamel dial has black Roman numerals, blued steel spade hands and is signed Chas. Frodsham, Clokmaker to The Queen, 84 Strand, London. Note the original spelling mistake of the word clock as clok. The rear of the dial has the initials AM written in ink, being for the dial maker Adolphe Mojon who was supplying Baveux and Jacot at this time. Below the main dial is a subsidiary alarm setting dial.

Contained in a gilded brass gorge case with typical Jacot/Baveux profile, including the more upright five-bail handle and distinct sharp corners.

​The serial number 1552 gives a date of manufacture of circa 1865 being a couple of years prior to Henri Jacot's death, but after the business was being run by his brother Julien Jacot.

​That the clock described here has the famous 84 Strand address for Frodsham is to be noted. All other examples quoted below are for the later New Bond Street address. It was in December 1894 that Frodsham received a Parliamentary Notice that 84 was to be demolished to make way for The Cecil Hotel Development Scheme. New premises were acquired at 115, New Bond Street in September 1895.

​An almost identically cased example signed for Chas. Frodsham was exhibited by Meyrick Neilson and Aspreys in their London Bond Street showrooms in July 1975. This clock also had typical Jacot attributes as seen in this example although of later manufacture being numbered 20858 for circa 1914 and signed on the dial Chas. Frodsham, 115, New Bond Street, London.

It was illustrated in the accompanying catalogue where the clock was described as extremely rare, and of the Frodsham platform escapement it was stated that Mr. Rock, the Clock-Workshop foreman made the platform with a round pallett and escape wheel cock. Then an escapement maker, possibly A.W. Curzon or Crook, or even Nicole Nielson of Soho Square, made the actual escapement.

This last maker named is interesting as I have a gorge clock signed for Jacot, but made by Holingue Freres, with the serial number 3309 which is signed on the dial Nicole Nielsen & Co., 14 Soho Square, London.

Wiliam Rock is too late in the story for the clock described here as he was working in America for the Waltham Watch Co. and became manager of the Frodsham workshops prior to 1913. In 1865, the approximate date of 1552, Rock would've been ten years old.

​One other example I own is a Corniche cased clock signed on the dial Chas. Frodsham, 115 New Bond St, London and numbered 20865, some seven away from the Aspreys example, and has the identical dial and slightly heavier spade hands as seen on the Aspreys clock.

​A further gorge example near-identical to the Aspreys clock, and having the serial number 20766, is illustrated in The Frodshams, The Story of a Family of Chronometer Makers, by Vaudrey Mercer (Pub. The Antiquarian Horological Society, 1981) page 402.

​Jacot 777 for Chas. Frodsham at 84 Strand is as previously mentioned above.

The serial number 1552 gives a date of manufacture of circa 1865 being a couple of years prior to Henri Jacot's death, but after the business was being run by his brother Julien Jacot.

​I have been researching the clocks and lives of Henri Jacot and his family, including their associates the Baveux family, for a number of years now and have unearthed information hitherto unknown which has greatly added to our knowledge of the family as well as debunking some previously held views and confirming others that were of uncertain origin.

For further information on Baveux and the Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont clockmaking town, my article: Carriage Clock Makers of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont illustrated by Postcards, is available as a download via my website.

For further details of Jacot, Baveux and the dialmaker Mojon, my 2013 Exhibition Catalogue: Henri Jacot: An Exhibition of Carriage Clocks is also available as a download via my website.

Dimensions

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report

Stock number