Museum piece
Beneath the clear glass dome, the open Bulle movement and its brass components are visible. The light-coloured dial has the characteristic double hour scale, with 12- and 24-hour numerals. The transparent dome, fine mechanism and dark wooden base make the clock’s technical construction its defining feature.
Inside is an electromechanical Bulle magnetic pendulum movement. Electromagnetic impulses keep the pendulum moving, and its oscillation is transferred mechanically to the hands. Serial number 155799 is dated to approximately 1932–1933.
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.