simon de charmes london. a fine quarter striking walnut longcase clock circa 1720.

Simon De Charmes London, a fine walnut cased, quarter striking longcase clock. Circa 1720, the complex three-train, five pillar movement sounding the quarters on 6 bells and with full repeat work, the figured walnut case with impressive caddied and platform pediment, surmounted by 3 large brass finials. Silk-backed sound frets to the arch and hood sides. The dial with finely matted centre, silvered chapter ring, strike/ silent to the arch.

Complete and fully working. The movement has been properly cleaned and serviced.Video link to quarter strike and repeat: https://youtu.be/ILYFIuZHHw4
3 brass-cased weights, brass-faced pendulum, winder and keys for trunk and hood locks (both working).Overall height with centre finial 102 inches, without finial to the top of platform is 97 inches.Delivery and setup to UK mainland within 250 miles of BA22 (Somerset) for £95. Viewing/ collection welcome, please call Richard on 01935 840216 to arrange or see Osborne Clocks site for more details. Further notesThis is a very impressive clock in just about every respect. The maker, Simon de Charmes, the period it was made (being the latter part of the ‘golden age’), the quarter striking/ repeating movement and the sheer presence of the large figured walnut case with complex pediment.Simon de Charmes was a watch and clockmaker, a Frenchman exiled in London after the revocation of Nantes in 1685, he then worked in London and is listed in the Clockmaker’s Company from 1692 to around 1730. He was a very successful maker and built a large house called "Charmes" in King Street, Hammersmith. An online search will show that his clocks tend to be of a very up-market type. He is also notorious for making complex watches.De Charmes was working in London during the celebrated ‘golden age’ of English clockmaking, a time when the most famous clockmakers were trading, Tompion, Windmills, Quare etc were close contemporaries. By the end of this period, say around 1720, the fashion for clocks had changed from the diminutive ‘William & Mary’ style to significantly larger/ taller clocks with impressive pediments.The quarter striking, three-train movement would have been a very luxurious item at the time. This one uses 6 bells and imitates the downward peal of church ringing. The quarters are differentiated by 1 peal at the first quarter, 2 at the second and so on. For the hour, 4 peals are sounded followed by the number of the hour on the strike train. Note that this is not really a ‘musical’ movement in that it does not play a tune. The strike/ silent lever in the arch silences both 6-bell and hourly strike functions.
The movement, particularly the front plate work, is complex even for a three-train clock. There are numerous springs, counter-springs and levers to regulate the quarter strike and repeat work, certainly more than you would normally expect. When the cord is pulled for repeat the clock will sound the previous quarter and then the previous hour. This is unusual to find in a longcase clock, something more associated with bracket clocks. The rack strike is governed from a ‘star’ wheel separate to the hour wheel, this enables more accurate tracking of the hour than most longcase clocks which have a snail attached to the hour wheel. Perhaps a touch of the ‘complexity’ that De Charmes also used in his watch making.
The ‘quarter repeat’ is a function perhaps misunderstood in the modern era. In the early 1700s bracket or table clocks with verge escapements could be carried to the bedroom overnight. In the dark it would have been time-consuming to light a candle to see the dial but instead a cord could be pulled to make the clock sound the last quarter and then the hour, therefore the owner would know the time within about 15 minutes, good enough at the time!In longcase clocks quarter repeat work is a much rarer thing. The longcase clock was a fixed feature in the house, perhaps hall or landing. However, a longer cord could be run from an adjacent room to sound the quarters so that the owner could still tell the time during the night.In general longcase clocks with full quarter repeat work are pretty rare and normally very up-market types. The extra complexity would have added significantly to the original cost of the item. There are famous examples by Quare and Tompion, each finding their own unique way of providing the quarter repeat function. Sadly over the years many longcase clocks (and bracket clocks) that did originally have quarter-repeat work have had the components removed, perhaps because it was considered no longer necessary, or clock repairers did not properly understand the mechanism and felt it better to remove it altogether in the interests of reliability.The case is a magnificent example, slightly wider to accommodate three weights. It is in very good condition, just a few little marks here and there but excellent light-ish walnut colour and polish. The finials are proper heavy Georgian examples.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: CTPKHB9BF

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Osborne Clocks

Osborne Clocks. A specialist antique longcase collector and enthusiast based in Somerset UK. Clock sales, setup and delivery service. Longcase clocks have been my interest for many years now. I specialise in rarer clock types, particularly moon dials, musical clocks etc. Please view my website for more info about longcase clocks in general.

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