Why are carriage clocks listed under travel clocks?

Because they were made to travel. The glazed brass case with a top handle and a platform escapement became the standard portable clock from the second quarter of the 19th century, usually supplied in a fitted leather outer case for the journey. The stock reflects that history rather than the heading. Carriage appears in 239 of 288 titles on Sellingantiques, and in almost everything currently for sale.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 37 a year across the marketplace. Sixty different dealers have listed them, so no one dealer sets the tone of the category. What you see is a broad spread of French brass work with a thinner seam of 20th-century portables running through it.

What does petite sonnerie mean on a carriage clock?

It strikes the quarters on one bell or gong and the hour at the hour. Grande sonnerie goes further and strikes both the quarter and the hour at every quarter. Grande sonnerie is the most complicated striking that turns up under this heading, and titles carrying it sit at the very top of the range. Sonnerie of either kind appears in 16 titles.

Are there 20th-century travel clocks in this category?

Yes, as a distinct pocket rather than a main strand. Twenty-two listings are dated to the 1930s and eleven to the 1920s, almost all chrome, Bakelite, leather or silver-cased alarms supplied with carry cases. A handful of later pieces run through to 1960, resting on very few listings.

Does the original leather case matter?

It sits in the title when a dealer has one, which tells you something. "Original travelling case", "with original key" and "in the box with the paperwork" all recur, and cased appears in 13 titles. Those listings sit above comparable clocks offered on their own.

How small do miniature carriage clocks get?

Miniature appears in 34 titles. Below that come the mignonette and sub-miniature descriptions, and one listing records a case 2¾ inches high. Size tells at both ends. Very small and the giant cases both cluster high, while ordinary-sized plain brass examples make up the middle of the category.

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Antique Travel Clocks

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A small spring-driven clock made to be carried, and under this heading that means, four times out of five, the glazed French brass carriage clock with a handle on top.