Oval Carriage Clock, Model #MM 800 645 00 The first authentic
carriage clock was made in Paris at the start of the 19th
Century, by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823). Carriage clocks
are also known in France as ?Officer?s Clocks.? The name is
based on an historical anecdote. It is said that Napoleon,
having almost lost a battle because one of his officers was
late, ordered his military chiefs to carry a small clock with
them at all times. Orders placed with master clockmakers always
included the reference ?a clock for an officer? and this brought
the name into common parlance. Original Carriage Clocks, such as
this one, include a jeweled platform escapement visible through
the beveled glass on top. The escapement was placed this way so
that the clock would continue to keep time while it was bounced
around in a carriage with wooden wheels in the 19th Century.