A French grande sonnerie, calendar, moon phase, thermometer and barometer and fly-back carriage clock by Victorien Boseet (VB) , Paris, date circa 1878
Derek Roberts, “Carriage and other Travelling Clocks”, 1993, p. 223, Fig. 13-28 illustrating this clock.
Allix & Bonnert, "Carriage Clocks", 1974 / 1981, p. 203 & 204 illustrating this clock.
Joseph Fanelli, "A Century of Fine Carriage Clocks", 1987, pages 112 and 113 illustrating this clock.
A highly complicated Corinthian column, copper and gilt-brass grande sonnerie, calendar, moon phase, thermometer and barometer and fly-back carriage clock by Victorien Bosset (VB)
Paris, circa 1878
Height 22 cm (with handle)
The anglaise riche case with three push buttons to the top to adjust the month, moonphase and date, the dial with foliate engraved gilt mask and central Roman and Arabic chapter disc signed, blued steel Breguet-style hands, the dials below for mercurial thermometer, barometer and retrograde days of the week, subsidiary enamel dials above for months, moonphase and calendar, the movement with high grade platform lever escapement, twin going barrels, the strike on two gongs inside the base, grande sonnerie racks planted on the backplate seen through a protective exhibition glass cover pierced with holes for winding and hand-set and three position strike selection lever S G & P for grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie and silent selection, further lever in the back of the case within the cornice mouldings to select either repeat or moonphase adjustment, the backplate with small stamp in the base VB beneath a crown and numbered 631
The maker Victorien Boseet was not particularly prolific and few clocks by him are known. There is speculation as to whether Victorien Boseet and Victorien Bousset are one and the same person, see page 433 of Carriage Clocks by Allix & Bonnert.
A bronze medal was won at the 1878 Paris Exhibition and the Review Chronometrique of June 1880 especially mentions Victorien Bousset as an important maker of very good and complicated carriage clocks.
As Joseph Fanelli mentioned the clock is also engraved on the bottom plate under the base "Breguet 799 M.B." Breguet was probably the original retailer of the clock. (See literature)