Museum piece
Beneath the glass dome engraved with floral decoration, the exposed Bulle movement and its brass components remain visible. The light-coloured dial displays the characteristic dual hour markings, with Arabic numerals for both the 12- and 24-hour scales. The frosted flowers, leaves and tendrils of the dome appear in front of the delicate mechanism. The stepped, dark-lacquered base provides a calm contrast to the glass and brass.
Inside is an electromechanical Bulle magnetic-pendulum movement. Electromagnetic impulses keep the pendulum moving, and its oscillation is transmitted mechanically to the hands. A coil on the pendulum passes over a curved permanent magnet; a contact closes the circuit at the appropriate moment. The movement operates at 1.5 volts. Based on neighbouring serial numbers, serial number 152711 is approximately dated to 1932–1933.
Bulle Clock SN 152711 was sold to the Netherlands.
Manufacturer
Boulogne-sur-Seine · Île-de-France · France
Bulle-Clock originated in the collaboration between clockmaker Maurice Favre-Bulle and physicist Marcel André-Moulin. Before the First World War, they developed a prototype of an electromagnetically driven pendulum clock. After André-Moulin's death, Favre-Bulle continued the work. In 1918, he filed a patent application jointly with André-Moulin's widow; the patent was granted in 1920. That same year, serial production began at the Compagnie Générale des Appareils Horo-Électriques. Production ceased during the Second World War and resumed in 1946. It ended after Favre-Bulle's death in 1954. An estimated 300,000 to 330,000 clocks were made in various case designs.