Morbier Clocks

The Morbier clock comes from the village of Morbier,The effect is that when the pendulum is swung, the
the word itself meaning 'small market town,' in theescapement is put into operation by the brass strip
eastern central French province of Franche-Comte,horizontally connected to the verge. On the other
bordering on Switzerland. It's located about 30 milesside of the time train, we have the strike train.
north-northwest of Geneva in the Jura mountains.Normally, the rack of the strike train describes an arc
Not only are clocks its only claim to fame. Cheese,of a circle and at rest lies at very roughly 30 degrees
too, is another product that brings a lot of revenueto its fulcrum. Not so the Morbier. This is the only
to the little town, since from all I've read, it's anrack mechanism I've ever seen that operates in a
excellent product.straight line. It simply goes up and down
The clockmaking business began in the middle of theperpendicularly.
18th. century, partly to keep people occupied duringThe snail sits in its usual place on the hour wheel, and
the long winter months. The denizens of Morbieris of a most pleasing, even artistic design. The
would make the parts, which would then be boughtcraftsman who made the particular one of which I'm
by finishers who would assemble them. Since thethinking deserves high praise for his work. Indeed,
village was in the Franche-Comte region, the clocksthese clocks are a curious blend of the artistic and
themselves were also known as Comtoise.the rustic. What makes them unmistakable, of
Their design is most interesting. The movements arecourse, are their huge pendulum bobs. They aren't
in the form of skeleton clocks, there being threeunduly heavy, but they're constructed out of a single
thick steel strips in the front and three in the back, allpiece of brass sheet, hammered or pressed into
held together by two thinner steel plates, one at thequite intricate patterns. The dials are surrounded in
top, the other at the bottom, between which runthe same fashion.
the gears on their arbors. To the best of myMark you, having said that these clocks are mainly
knowledge, there are two types of Comtoise; thewall and floor models, there are types with all manner
longcase and the wall clock, both of which useof complications; automata, cuckoo, and those with
weights for their motive force, while the movementsexperimental escapements which make them highly
for both are basically the same.desirable to collectors.
A steel pendulum hanger is suspended by aThe one startling feature common to most Morbiers
suspension spring in the usual way from the topis the fact that it's a double strike. By that, let's
plate. So as not to interfere with the hour and minutesuppose the time to be four o'clock. At two minutes
pipes of the motion work, a circle is formed in theto the hour, it will strike four times, and precisely at
hanger, so that it clears this mechanism. As you viewfour o'clock it will strike four times again. Unless the
the movement from the front, the escapement,man who's servicing the clock knows about this quirk,
latterly of the anchor type, previously the old vergehe can find it quite upsetting. Fortunately, by pure
and foliot, is set between the left hand plates, orchance, I'd read about this little inclusion, so that I
strips. A simple verge wire drops down below thewas ready for the first Morbier I ever tackled. This
motion work, and is connected to the pendulumbusiness of the double strike is supposed to be a call
hanger by a brass arm, screwed into the hanger atto prayer; two minutes prior to the Office, then it's
one end and free to move, while the wire vergeup habit and sprint to church before the clock strikes
goes through a small hole in the brass at the othera second time.
end.