A French Napoleon III gilt-bronze striking mantel regulator, third quarter 19th century.

A French Napoleon III gilt-bronze striking mantel regulator with 13 cm two-piece enamel dial with Roman numerals, the recessed centre signed Augte. Pointeaux with rare visible coup perdu escapement, Breguet hands and sweep seconds, fine champleve foliate gilt mask with a calender dial below, the outer ring indicating month zodiacal symbol and a ring with Arabic date numerals, recessed polychrome centre with rolling moonphase and flyback indication for day of the week, an aperture below for year, movement signed, Augte. Pointeaux, 3. Rue Cherubini Paris No. 7163 and Pons, heavy gridiron pendulum with Brocot-type steel suspension and beat adjustment to the crutch, rack striking on a bell, the calender mechanism connected to the movement with manual adjustment for date/month, and day/moonphase and indication in the four year cycle, gilt case with breakarch top inset with cut-glass panels on a moulded base.
height 47 cm
E.-Louis-Auguste Pointeaux (1809-1885) is recorded working in the rue Cherubini between 1850 and 1880. He invented his own coup perdu escapement of which this clock shows an example.

Lit: Tardy, Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais, pp 527