Tiffany & Co. Brass Carriage Clock. Marked made in France. 

Size With Handle Up: 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 x 6 in. 

A carriage clock is a small spring-driven clock designed for traveling, developed in the early 19th Century in France. The first carriage clock was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet for Napoleon in 1812. The case, usually plain or gilt-brass, is rectangular with a carrying handle and often set with glass or more rarely enamel or porcelain panels. A feature of carriage clocks is the platform escapement, sometimes visible through a glazed aperture on the top of the case. Carriage clocks use a balance and balance spring for timekeeping and replaced the larger pendulum bracket clock. Their sturdiness and ease of use made them symbolic of the French military, and eventually became a common gift from employers or the military to retiring or long-serving staff. The factory of Armand Couaillet, in Saint-Nicolas d’Aliermont, France, made thousands of carriage clocks between 1880 and 1920. One of the largest manufacturers was Matthew Norman, a Swiss company founded in 1851 that specialized in handmade, intricately-featured pieces, and is still producing them today.

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