trying to figure out the maker
there is a serial number - upper left.
an 8 - middle left
and a 4 on either side at bottom centre

pic2

pic 3

pic4

Roddy, These French movements are difficult to identify, I have no clue. It looks like it has been slightly neglected during its past life.

Curly

Hi Curly,

It does have some TLC required but looks like decent quality to me & it comes with a nice black slate case.

Rod

Hi Roddy

Please show some pictures from your clock : when trying to identify a watch or clock movement it helps a lot when you have all informations like movement pictures and clock-case to determine better the time period and the location.
Where did you get the information of a french origin of the movement. When I see a clock movement with lantern pinions and a recoil escapement, my first thought would be the black forest region in Germany.

Regards
Gerald

Hi Gerald,
Don't always pay attention to your first thought!
In the middle bottom, just above the two 4s it says...Made In France.
The slate case with columns needs some polishing.

Rod

Hi Rod

Thanks for the additional picture. What a mighty clock ! with the informations given i cannot name a maker but i will try to tell something about the time it was made.

The movement is known as 'pendule de paris'(meantime of production was 1850 'til WWI) and it is a very late example:
the rack and snail strike came up ~1880 and from this time on the older count wheel slowly disappeared. At this watch some parts are made from bended metal stripes and are a later simplification.
the use of 'Made in France' gives 1890 as earliest time.
totally unknown to me is the use of lantern pinions in these movements - a quick search gave no single example yet.
The dial can be found on clocks ~1900.
This would date the clock back to 1900 - 1910 earliest.

Normally those watches were marked by the maker but on demand by the retailer left without marks on the visible parts. There is a chance that there are small markings inside the movement.

The '4 4' marking gives the lenght of the pendulum - 4 pounces (each 27.07 mm) and 4 lignes (2.256 mm each)

The fact that the movement is just a faint shadow of the quality that those 'pendules de paris' once were it is a very nice clock and well worth restoring.

Regards
Gerald

THE MOVEMENT DOES NOT LOOK FRENCH TO ME IT APPEARS THAT MAYBE IT IS GERMAN, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A FRENCH MOVEMENT THAT USED A STRIP PALLET, USUALLY THEY ARE FINALLY CAST PALLETS,NEVER A RIVETED STRIP PALLET. THE MOVEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY IS CRUDE COMPARED TO A TYPICAL FRENCH MOVEMENT. IF IT IS FRENCH IT IS AN ODDITY. EDDIE

Hi Gerald,
I like the clock but am no clockmaker, I just tinker with them a little & see if I can get them running. Restoring it is out of my league.
Regards, Rod