The clock is one of humanities oldest inventions, a device to consistently measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units: the day, the lunar month, and the year. Over the course of time different operating devices have been used to meet such need, which are: the sundial, the hour glass, and the water clock, all three being by far the oldest time-measuring instruments known to date. In the A.D. 1300 Europe had a major advance when the invention of the escapement was seen for the first time, thus abolished the earlier devices. In the mid 15ᵗʰ century the spring-driven clock was invented and by the early 16ᵗʰ century clock making flourished. Around the mid 17ᵗʰ century the pendulum clock was invented, giving time further precision and accuracy. This device was the best time-keeping instrument until the electric clock was invented in 1840.

Notable clockmakers;

Udo Adelsberger (German)
John Arnold (British)
Johann Baptist Beha (German)
Ferdinand Berthoud (French)
Abraham Louis Breguet (French)
Achille Brocot (French)
Martin Burgess (British)
Joost Bürgi (Swiss)
Konstantin Chaykin (Russian)
William Clement (British)
Salomon Coster (Dutch)
Aaron Lufkin Dennison (British)
Giovanni de Dondi (Italian)
Richard Donisthorp (British)
Hans Düringer (German)
John Ellicott (British)
Eugène Farcot (French)
George Graham (British)
John Harrison (British)
Peter Henlein (German)
Christiaan Huygens (Dutch)
James Ivory (British)
Antide Janvier (French)
Mikulas of Kadan (Czech)
Franz Ketterer (German)
Johann Andreas Klindworth (German)
Joseph Knibb (British)
Jean-Antoine Lépine (French)
David Rittenhouse (American)
Pierre LeRoy (French)
Jens Olsen (Danish)
Timothy Mason (British)
William Potts & Sons (British)
Rasmus Sørnes (Norwegian)
Adolf Scheibe (German)
Smith of Derby Group (British)
Eli Terry (American)
Thomas Tompion (British)
Thwaites & Reed (British)
Sigmund Riefler (German)
Benjamin Vulliamy (British)
Richard of Wallingford (British)
Simon Willard (American)
John Whitehurst (British)
Su Song (Chinese)
Lazar the Hilandarian (Serbian)
David Hare (Indian)
Tim Hunkin (British)

Fine Maltese, French, German, Italian, Swiss and English examples are often found in local auctions and they attract a great deal of interest especially when a rare pieces are up for sale. These range from: Grand father clock, wall clocks, bracket clocks, mantel clocks, lantern clocks, table clocks and carriage clocks.

Clocks are always present in Fine Furnishings and Decorated Arts auctions at Centurion Auctioneers which are held regularly.

Hover over the images on the left for more information. Click and hold to display the picture.

Should you have any questions in regards to Clocks that you might wish to evaluate or to list in future auctions, please visit the CONTACT page , the VALUATIONS page or the REQUEST INFORMATION page or send an email to Centurion Auctioneers - info@centurion-auctions.com

A GERMAN PEWTER, BRASS, MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND TORTOISESHELL MARQUETRY BRACKET CLOCK WITH FULL CALENDAR, MOONPHASE, GRANDE-SONNERIE AND REPEAT LAURENTIUS WEIGER
FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY. CASE AND MOVEMENT PROBABLY ASSOCIATED
The case of typical form, surmounted by a (later) gilt-brass female finial, pierced galleries to the sides and on scrolled feet, the gilt-brass dial overall engraved with C-scrolls, acanthus and foliage, the arched top with five silvered subsidiary rings for date, repeat/not repeat and strike/not strike selection, Zodiac symbols and day of week, the date ring centred by the engraved moonphase, silvered Roman and Arabic chapter ring, the centre with sunburst mock-pendulum and date aperture above VI, signed below VI Laurentius Weiger fecit, blued steel hands and pointers, six pillar three train gut fusee movement, anchor escapement and silk suspension, strike on two bells above; some damages and losses; winding key and pendulum

66 cm. high


Sold €6,875 Christie's auctions

A SOUTH GERMAN SILVER-MOUNTED EBONY AND EBONIZED STRIKING TABLE CLOCK 'PRUNKUHR' THE MOVEMENT BY BRAUN, AUGSBURG
LATE 17TH CENTURY; THE CASE 17TH CENTURY AND LATER AND ASSOCIATED TO MOVEMENT
The shaped case with a key drawer, the engraved gilt brass dial signed BRAUN/Augusta, copper chapter ring (originally silvered), steel hour hand (minute hand lacking), the one day movement with rectanular plates, pivoted verge escapement and front swinging pendulum, gut fusee and single barrel movement, countwheel strike on one bell'

41 cm. high


Sold €5,000 Christie's auctions

A GERMAN GILT-BRONZE AND BRASS STRIKING AND AUTOMATON BACCHUS CLOCK
HANS CHRISTOPH KREITZER OR KONRAD KREITZER, AUGSBURG, FIRST QUARTER 17TH CENTURY, LATER BASE
The figure of bacchus, with part polychrome surfaces, sitting astride a wine barrel holding a vine-wrapped staff to his left hand and a bottle to his right, with automaton features; his eyes moving with the balance spring, his right arm rising to his opening jaw at the hour, ebonised glazed hexagonal base raised on recumbent lion feet, the rear of barrel stamped 'C K' flanking an Augsburg pine cone mark and with strap engraved 'XXXX IIII', the barrel front with silvered twice XII dial, the foliate engraved base with quarters dial, both with enamel decoration; the movement with hexagonal steel top plate and brass bottom plate joined by steel pillars, twin gut fusees and plain steel spring balance, formerly with hog's hair regulation, bell and hinged base plate

12 in. (30.5 cm.) high, 8 in. (20.4 cm.) wide, 10 ½ in. (26.5 cm.) deep


Sold $112,500 Christie's auctions

A GEORGE II ENGLISH WALNUT EIGHT-DAY STRIKING HOODED WALL CLOCK
JOHN ELLICOTT, LONDON, CIRCA 1745
The shallow arch case with caryatids to the chamfered angles, integral bracket with drawer below, long glazed arched side panels, restorations, the 10 inch brass dial with female head spandrels, the silvered chapter ring with Roman hours and Arabic minutes, the matted centre with date aperture and mock pendulum, blued steel hands, the arch signed 'John Ellicott/London', flanked by subsidiary dials for 'strike/silent' and regulation, the five pillar movement with verge escapement, rise and fall regulation and strike on bell, pendulum, winding key and case key

26 in. (66 cm.) high; 15 ¾ in. (40 cm.) wide; 7 ¼ in. (18.5 cm.) deep


Sold £6,875 Christie's auctions

AN ITALIAN ORMOLU-MOUNTED ROSEWOOD MUSICAL GRANDE SONNERIE TABLE CLOCK
FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY, PROBABLY ROME
DIAL: the cast brass break-arch dial with silvered chapter ring and matted centre, subsidiary dials for ‘SILET/SOAT’ and ‘I II’, ring to arch with two hands for date and age of moon and aperture for the moonphase disc, steel hands; MOVEMENT: the five-pillar three-train movement with gut fusee to chime (at hour) on six bells, spring barrel to Chevalier de Bethune escapement, silk suspension and short pendulum, spring barrel to quarter striking on two bells, feet replaced

36 in. (91.5 cm.) high; 28 in. (71 cm.) wide; 12 in. (30.5 cm.) deep


Sold £10,625 Christie's auctions

A FRENCH ORMOLU AND ENGRAVED GILT-BRASS GRANDE AND PETITE SONNERIE TABLE CLOCK
PIERRE AMY, ST. MALO, LATE 18TH CENTURY
The silvered chapter ring with moonphase to center, signed to lower dial plate 'Pierre Amy a St. Malo'; the twin-train movement with Chevalier de Bethune escapement and silk suspension, strike work with double snail to backplate to strike petite-sonnerie during daylight hours and grande-sonnerie during night hours, single bell to top

9 ¾ in. (24.5 cm.) high, 4 in. (10 cm.) wide, 3 ½ in. (9 cm.) deep


Sold $15,000 Christie's auctions

A FRENCH ORMOLU AND SILVERED QUARTER-STRIKING TRAVEL CLOCK
I. TETE BLANCHE, PARIS, NO. 325, CIRCA 1750
The rococo waisted case with arched glazed side panels and engraved rear door, the white enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes and signed 'I: TETE BLANCHE / A PARIS', pierced gilt hands, strike/no strike below '30'; the movement with twin chain fusees and balance wheel verge escapement, the backplate with engraved bridge to balance, regulation dial and further signed and numbered 'No. 325', quarter striking on single bell to underside

6 ½ in. (16.5 cm.) high, 3 ½ in. (9 cm.) wide, 2 ½ in. (6.5 cm.) deep


Sold $25,000 Christie's auctions

A FRENCH ORMOLU AND PATINATED BRONZE PENDULE À CERCLES TOURNANTS
ATTRIBUTED TO DENIÈRE, AFTER THE MODEL BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS FORTY, CIRCA 1870
Modelled with two seated putti supporting a neoclassical urn, the domed cover with acanthus finial above two enamel rotating dials, with twin-barrel movement, platform lever escapement and rack striking to bell, the front centred by a cameo portrait of Queen Marie-Antoinette and the back with a cameo portrait of Louis XVI, on a shaped base centred with pierced rinceaux panels, on eight toupie feet

28 in. (71 cm.) high; 20 in. (51 cm.) wide; 8 ¼ in. (21 cm.) deep


Sold £17,500 Christie's auctions

A QUEEN ANNE BRASS-MOUNTED WALNUT STRIKING TABLE CLOCK
MARKWICK, LONDON, CIRCA 1705-1710
The pierced repousse brass basket top worked with flower-filled vases and garlands surmounted by a double scroll handle and flanked by four vase finials, rectangular glazed side panels, and raised on later brass bracket feet, the 6½ in. square dial with cherub-cast spandrels to the silvered chapter ring with Arabic and Roman numerals and cruciform half hour markers, enclosing a matted center, with mock pendulum and calendar apertures, both with engraved borders, and later ebonized hands, strike/not strike lever above XII, the eight-day movement with five knopped and ringed pillars, twin line fusees, reconverted to verge escapement with later apron and strike on bell, the back plate with foliate engraving and signed 'Markwick London'; one pendulum, one winder, restorations, probably formerly with a pull repeat

18 in. (46 cm.) high, 10 5/8 in. (27 cm.) wide, 7 in. (18 cm.) deep


Sold $11,875 Christie's auctions

A SWISS ORMOLU-MOUNTED VERNIS MARTIN QUARTER STRIKING MUSICAL BRACKET CLOCK, ON WALL BRACKET
THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY, PROBABLY SWISS
The waisted case with foliate mounts and decorated with flowers on green ground, the dished white enamel dial with pierced and engraved ormolu hands, the twin-barrel movement with verge escapement, countwheel and quarter wheel to the backplate, strike on two bells, the side wound chain fusee musical movement, with 20 cm. long music barrel, playing on thirteen bells via twenty hammers, the wall bracket conformingly decorated; doorkey, winding key and pendulum

138 cm. high overall (2)


Sold €32,200 Christie's auctions

A GERMAN GILT-BRONZE, BRASS AND EBONY VENEERED STRIKING AUTOMATON FIGURAL TABLE CLOCK
CAROL SCHMIDT, AUGSBURG, CIRCA 1620-30
Modeled as the Madonna and Child, her left arm rising at the strike of the hours, her right hand with pointer to the hour ring above, the base stamped 'EBEN' flanked by an Augsburg pinecone and possible case maker stamp 'DK'; the movement with gut fusee for time and plain fixed barrel for strike, hog's bristle balance, blued steel calibrated countwheel, fish-head hammer to bell in baseplate, signed to the bottom plate 'Carol Schmidt:'

12 in. (30.5 cm.) high, 6 ¼ in. (16 cm.) wide, 4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) diameter


Sold $30,000 Christie's auctions

A FRENCH ORMOLU HEXAGONAL STRIKING AND ASTRONOMICAL TABLE CLOCK
BY PAUL GARNIER, PARIS, NO. 1648, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY
In the Renaissance style, with figural mounts to all side angles centered by oval glazed panels and with grotesque masks below, raised on scroll and lion paw feet, the hinged base panel engraved to both sides with eagles and inset with two bells secured by blued steel straps, the dial with engraved winged cherub spandrels to champlevé chapter ring, with engraved matted center, chamfered apertures for the days and their deities, month and signs of the zodiac, month and phases of the moon, strike/not strike lever at III, repeat/no repear lever at IX (both lacking), blued steel hands, the movement substantially made and with six rear-pinned vase-shaped pillars, twin barrels, rack strike and repeat on demand on two bells, monometallic balance to gilt lever platform, the back plate punch numbered 1648 and signed PAUL GARNIER HGR ROI PARIS, winding key, with a red leather and engraved gilt-brass case with hinged cover

4½ in. (11.5 cm.) high, 7 in. (18 cm.) diameter, the clock; 5½ in. (14 cm.) high, 9 in. (23 cm.) diameter, the case


Sold $8,125 Christie's auctions