{"id":207,"date":"2015-09-18T21:39:16","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T21:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiswickclockrepair.wordpress.com\/?p=207"},"modified":"2015-09-18T21:39:16","modified_gmt":"2015-09-18T21:39:16","slug":"comtoise-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/?p=207","title":{"rendered":"Comtoise part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week I was asked to look at a “grandfather” clock. It turned out to be a French comtoise or morbier clock in a very tall case.<\/p>\n

Comtoise clocks were made in large numbers\u00a0in the vicinity of Morbier in the Franche -Comt\u00e9 region of France, near the Swiss frontier, from the late 17th century to the beginning of the 20th. They are sometimes called Morez clocks or Morbier clocks, from place names in the area. In the 19th century they were to be found far and wide across France, virtually ousting all other local clock making traditions. They were often marked with the name and town of the seller rather than those of the maker.<\/p>\n

Here’s a picture of the dial:<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0702\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The clock had suffered a catastrophic failure of the strike train winding barrel. The end plates of the barrel appear to be castings, with the barrel itself probably rolled and soldered into the end plates. This assembly is also soldered to the barrel arbor. The casting had fractured, and the owner had attempted to re-solder it to the arbor, but the strength of the strike weight had been too much for the joint.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0692\"<\/a>\u00a0\"IMG_0696\"<\/a>\"IMG_0700\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There would seem to be two possible courses of action, either make a completely new barrel, or repair the broken one, using as much of it as possible. I’m still debating the pros and cons of both, and I’ve also posed the question on the NAWCC forum.<\/p>\n

Some history<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chateaulin is a town in Brittany, north-west France, and a search for Besnard, clockmaker, threw up some interesting history. Lucien Besnard opened a shop (a jewellers, or bijouterie) in the rue d’Eglise in Chateaulin in 1850, and the shop is still there today, still in the family (screenshot from Google Streetview):<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

The story appears on a french website\u00a0http:\/\/www.letelegramme.fr\/local\/finistere-sud\/chateaulin-carhaix\/chateaulin\/bijouterie-depuis-163-ans-dans-la-famille-04-02-2013-1993820.php<\/a>\u00a0with a photo of the shop taken about 1910:<\/p>\n

\"1993820_13938663-bijouterie-20130204-c130a\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is the french text of the article:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fond\u00e9e en 1850, la bijouterie de la rue de l’\u00c9glise est sans doute le seul commerce ch\u00e2teaulinois \u00e0 avoir perdur\u00e9 aussi longtemps dans la m\u00eame famille. Gilles Rault, l’arri\u00e8re-petit-fils du fondateur, en a conserv\u00e9 la m\u00e9moire.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mon arri\u00e8re-grand-p\u00e8re racontait qu’il y avait des files d’attente sur la place pour venir acheter ses fameuses horloges comtoises. Et que les charrettes, bloqu\u00e9es, faisaient la queue sur le pont \u00bb. C’\u00e9tait au XIX e si\u00e8cle et d\u00e9j\u00e0 le franchissement de l’Aulne ne coulait pas de source. Du moins \u00e0 en croire Lucien Besnard, l’a\u00efeul de Gilles Rault. \u00ab Dans la famille, il se disait qu’il avait parfois tendance \u00e0 en rajouter \u00bb, temp\u00e8re le bijoutier de la rue de l’\u00c9glise. \u00ab Il soutenait aussi que, lorsqu’il ouvrit sa boutique en 1850, il \u00e9tait le premier bijoutier horloger du Finist\u00e8re \u00bb. Marie-Th\u00e9 Rault, l’\u00e9pouse de Gilles, en doute. \u00ab Quand m\u00eame, il devait bien y en avoir d’autres \u00e0 Brest ou \u00e0 Quimper.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mariage arrang\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n

Quoi qu’il en soit, Lucien Besnard \u00e9tait un pr\u00e9curseur. Et pas seulement dans l’horlogerie ou la bijouterie. Il \u00e9tait aussi opticien et vendait des cuill\u00e8res de mariage, tr\u00e8s en vogue \u00e0 l’\u00e9poque. \u00ab Mon arri\u00e8re-grand-p\u00e8re \u00e9tait originaire de Normandie. Son fr\u00e8re et lui s’\u00e9taient mari\u00e9s avec deux soeurs. Un mariage arrang\u00e9, comme c’\u00e9tait souvent la coutume, par les repr\u00e9sentants qui sillonnaient la France pour placer leurs marchandises. Ils en profitaient pour mettre en relation les candidats aux \u00e9pousailles \u00bb. En se mariant avec Marie Digne, Lucien Besnard d\u00e9barqua donc dans la cit\u00e9 de l’Aulne en 1850. \u00ab Il y fit b\u00e2tir l’actuelle maison o\u00f9 se trouve toujours notre bijouterie \u00bb. La rue de l’\u00c9glise regorgeait alors de commerces. D’anciennes photos, conserv\u00e9es par la famille, attestent de la pr\u00e9sence d’un tabac, attenant \u00e0 l’actuelle bijouterie, et plus haut, d’une librairie.<\/em><\/p>\n

Maison de confiance<\/em><\/p>\n

Gilles Rault a aussi conserv\u00e9 une ancienne publicit\u00e9. \u00c0 l’\u00e9poque, on n’y allait pas de main morte dans la \u00ab com \u00bb. \u00ab Habitants de la ville et de la campagne, mettez-vous en garde contre certains marchands peu scrupuleux qui vous exploitent en vous vendant du doubl\u00e9 pour de l’or \u00bb, claironne la pub de la Maison Besnard. Une \u00ab maison de confiance \u00bb, o\u00f9 l’on pouvait acqu\u00e9rir une montre en or pour \u00ab 50F \u00bb. \u00c0 la mort de Lucien, en 1921, son fils Eug\u00e8ne, lui succ\u00e9da. \u00ab Tout en conservant l’activit\u00e9 historique de son p\u00e8re, il d\u00e9veloppa l’affaire en vendant des phonographes, et leurs aiguilles qui s’usaient si vite, mais aussi des postes de radio, des machines \u00e0 coudre, des stylos plumes… \u00bb. La fille d’Eug\u00e8ne, qui, \u00e0 85 ans, a toujours bon pied bon oeil, \u00e9pousa Andr\u00e9 Rault, le p\u00e8re de Gilles, aujourd’hui disparu. \u00ab Un temps, la boutique a associ\u00e9 les deux noms, Besnard et Rault, pour finir par n’en conserver qu’un seul. Puis, mon p\u00e8re a surtout d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 l’optique, activit\u00e9 qui fit sa renomm\u00e9e \u00bb.<\/em><\/p>\n

Qui prendra la rel\u00e8ve ?<\/em><\/p>\n

L’optique, Gilles Rault l’a abandonn\u00e9e en reprenant l’affaire familiale en 1973. Apr\u00e8s six ann\u00e9es pass\u00e9es \u00e0 se former \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole d’horlogerie de Dreux, puis celle de bijouterie \u00e0 Besan\u00e7on, \u00ab l’artisan \u00bb s’est recentr\u00e9 sur les m\u00e9tiers d’origine de la famille. Avec sa femme, ils ont aussi suivi des cours \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole de gemmologie de Rennes, pour tout savoir sur les pierres pr\u00e9cieuses. Et si Gilles Rault ne vend plus d’horloge comtoise, il sait toujours les r\u00e9parer. \u00ab \u00c0 une \u00e9poque o\u00f9 le jetable a pris le pas, les artisans sont devenus des dinosaures \u00bb. Des dinosaures qui vendent aussi sur internet. Les temps changent. Quant \u00e0 la succession, les enfants de Gilles et Marie-Th\u00e9 ont choisi une autre voie professionnelle. \u00ab Peut-\u00eatre que nos petits-enfants prendront la rel\u00e8ve \u00bb.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Le T\u00e9l\u00e9gramme – Plus d\u2019information sur http:\/\/www.letelegramme.fr\/local\/finistere-sud\/chateaulin-carhaix\/chateaulin\/bijouterie-depuis-163-ans-dans-la-famille-04-02-2013-1993820.php<\/em><\/p>\n

And here is a translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded in 1850, the jewellers in the rue de l’Eglise is probably the only shop in Ch\u00e2teaulin to have lasted so long in the same family. Gilles Rault, the great-grand-son of the founder, tells the story.<\/em><\/p>\n

My great-grandfather told that there were queues in the square to come in and buy its famous Comtoise clocks. And that carts, blocked, would line up on the bridge. ” It was in the nineteenth century and already crossing l’Aulne was not easy. At least according to Lucien Besnard, the grandfather of Gilles Rault. “In the family, it was\u00a0said that he sometimes exaggerated,” cautions the\u00a0jeweller\u00a0in the rue de l’Eglise. “He also argued that, when he opened his shop in 1850, it was the first watchmaker and jeweller in Finist\u00e8re”. Marie-Th\u00e9 Rault, wife of Gilles is doubtful. “Still, there had to be others in Brest or Quimper.<\/em><\/p>\n

Arranged marriage<\/em><\/p>\n

Anyway, Lucien Besnard was a pioneer. And not just in watches or jewelry. He was also an optician and sold\u00a0wedding spoons, very fashionable at the time. “My great-grandfather was from Normandy. He and his brother were married to two sisters. An arranged marriage, as was often the custom, by representatives who traveled around France selling their goods. They took the opportunity to introduce eligible men and women\u00a0. ” By marrying Marie Digne, Lucien Besnard then landed in the city on l’Aulne\u00a0\u00a0in 1850. “There he built the present house which has\u00a0always been our jewellers shop.” The rue de l’Eglise has always been full of shops and businesses. Old photos kept by the family show a\u00a0tobacconists, adjoining the current jewellers, and above, a bookstore.<\/em><\/p>\n

House of\u00a0trust<\/em><\/p>\n

Gilles Rault has also kept\u00a0old publicity material. At the time, advertising was not subtle. “Inhabitants of the city and countryside, be\u00a0on your guard against unscrupulous traders who exploit you by selling you gold at twice the proper price,” trumpeted the publicity for the House of Besnard. A “trusted shop,” where you could buy a gold watch for “50F”. On the death of Lucien, in 1921, his son Eugene, succeeded him. “While preserving the historic activities\u00a0of his father, he developed the business by selling gramophones and their needles which wore so fast, but also radios, sewing machines, feather pens … “. The daughter of Eugene, who, at age 85, is still going strong, married Andr\u00e9 Rault’s father Gilles, now deceased. “One time the shop had the two names, Besnard and Rault, eventually only\u00a0one. Then, my father especially developed optics, activity that made him famous. “<\/em><\/p>\n

Who will take over?<\/em><\/p>\n

Gilles Rault \u00a0abandoned optics on taking over the family business in 1973. After six years at Dreux watchmaking school, then the\u00a0jewelery\u00a0school in Besan\u00e7on, he refocused on the original family business. With his wife, they have also taken courses at Rennes gemology school to learn all about gemstones. And if Gilles Rault sells more comtoise\u00a0clocks, he always knows how to repair them. “At a time when the disposable took precedence, artisans have become dinosaurs.” Dinosaurs that also sell online. Times change. As for the succession, the children of Gilles and Marie-Th\u00e9 have chosen another career path. “Maybe our grandchildren will take over.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The history of the shop and the style and details of the clock (anchor escapement, spring pendulum suspension) therefore dates it to shortly after 1850.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week I was asked to look at a “grandfather” clock. It turned out to be a French comtoise or morbier clock in a very tall case. Comtoise clocks were made in large numbers\u00a0in the vicinity of Morbier in the Franche -Comt\u00e9 region of France, near the Swiss frontier, from the late 17th century to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,5,8,9,11,15],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iantrowbridge.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}