I have a slate cased french clock that is almost identical to one that is listed on GO Antiques web site. The problem is theirs has a Marti trademark and mine has no trademark or any other identifing marks. As far as I can tell from their picture the back plates would interchange.
Would my movement be a counterfit copy?
This is mine. I don't yet have a picture of the movement.

This is theirs.

In addition to Marti there was/is a French clock manufacturer called Japy Freres. Also, I have seen other clocks that are obviously French that do not have any maker's name stamped on the back plate. I have one carriage clock with no markings, and another carriage and an alarm clock both with the image of a lion stamped on the back. I just looked at another one here with the typical round movement and it has a group of numbers stamped to the left of the pendulum and a small mark showing the maker won a medal at some sort of exposition. The maker's name may be in the middle of the mark but it's too small for me to read without a loupe and the movement is in a case. I think there must have been more companies making movements than the two mentioned previously.
There appears to be some sort of mark just to the left of the bell on your clock. What does it say?

Joe,
what an amazing set of coincidences with the clocks you show in the antique store.

Firstly, about 15 years ago I used to own exactly the same style of slate clock with visable excapement. If my memory serves me well, mine was made by Marti. ( I wish I still owned it, but at that time I had too many clocks and a couple had to go )

Secondly, look at the break arch clock shown on the right of the background, it looks very similar to the one I showed a picture of last week on the clock forum ( look under the Barwise of London topic ). The one in your picture seems to be a time and strike fusee, where mine is time only fusee. Would you have any way of finding out how much this particular clock is selling for ??

I looked at another Frenchie movement that I have out of the case and it's stamped with a circular mark, star in the middle, AD Mougin printed around the top and the French for two medals at the bottom.

Dave & John
Thanks for the reply to my question. I have a Japy Frere and S. Marti clock in my collection. They both are marked. The Frere has rack and snail strike and the Marti uses a count wheel. The Marti also has a Brocot, external escapement. Both of these clocks are much smaller than the unknown clock which has a plate diameter of 96mm.

John, The number on the left of the bell is not on my clock picture. It is however, I believe, the serial number of the works. On my Japy Frere there is a number at that location. The number is also repeated on the pendulum bob and the bezel ring. The number on my clock is 850. As an after thought, the award mentioned with the makers name is an aid in dating french clocks. There is a web site that has this information. I will try to find it again and post it.

Dave, in answer to your question regarding the other clock in the picture go to: <goantiques.com> select clocks catagory then search for "slate cased" in the search box. This will bring up the clock I pictured. At this point you have all the info necessary to contact the seller. Good Luck ,

Joe