An excellent quality Leroy & Fils gilt brass gorge cased Petit Sonnerie repeater and alarm with its original travel case c1890. The gorge case with cast handle retains its original mercury gilding. Bevelled glass panels with large rectangular top-glass exposing its jewelled lever escapement. Matted silvered mask. White enamelled dial with black Roman numerals and minute ring with 5-minute Arabic numeral markers. Finely shaped blued-steel hands. Subsidiary alarm dial with arrow pointer and Arabic numerals. An 8-day Petit Sonnerie movement striking the hours on a single gong and each quarter hour on two gongs (one strike for quarter past, two for half-past and three for three-quarter past the hour). On depressing the repeat button, the clock strikes the last hour plus quarter hours. (Watch brief videos of it striking the hours, quarters and repeat above.) Its backplate holds an integral alarm winding key, knurled knob to set hands together with auxiliary winding squares for going and striking trains. Stamped LeRoy & Fils to underside. Backplate and constituent case components stamped with serial number 5907. Strike (Sonnerie) and silent (Silence) selector to underside. Uncommon bottom-winding or “keyless” mechanism peculiar to clocks sold before 1900. This keyless mechanism, seen only on LeRoy clocks winds the going and striking trains alternatively by turning the key about 45 degrees first in one direction and then the other. Stamped Patent No. 9501. The clock is of a small size considering the number of complications of its movement – measuring 14.5 cm to top of handle (11.5 excluding handle), 7.5 cm in width and 7 cm in depth. The clock has its original deep-burgundy, tooled Moroccan leather travelling case retaining its carrying strap. Top opening to one side with removable front panel. Lined in red velvet with satin ribbon with LeRoy & Fils, 57 New Bond Street, London printed in gilt. Serial number 5907 (matching the clock) to its base.
Fully cleaned and serviced. The clock's movement is covered by our 12 month warranty within the UK.
 
The firm of 'L. Leroy & Cie' can be traced back to 1785 when the business was founded by Basille-Charles Le Roy at 60 Galerie de Pierre, Palais Royal, Paris. He was a clockmaker to the Emperor Napoleon, The Duke of Orleans, The Duke of Bourbon and Princess Pauline. In 1828 Basille-Charles died leaving the business to his son, Charles-Louis, who continued producing clocks signed 'Le Roy & Fils'. Charles’ descendants had no interest in clockmaking and in 1845 the firm was sold to one of his former employees, Casimir Halley Desfontaines (who in turn was succeeded by his son George Halley Desfontaines in 1883) with the proviso that the name would continue for at least two generations. In 1854 “Le Roy & Sons” was set up in London and was officially appointed Watchmaker to Queen Victoria in 1863. The firm had acquired 211 Regent Street sometime prior to 1866, and by 1875 had also acquired 213 Regent Street. By 1885, the firm had moved to Bond Street. In 1888 George Halley died leaving the business to his brother Jules Halley who took-in as a partner Louis Leroy (no relation to the founders of the firm). Louis Leroy took over the business one year later, changing the name to “L.Leroy & Cie, ancienne maison Le Roy & Fils”. From 1895 onwards, the company archives only refer to the name “L.Leroy & Cie”.