Museum piece
The Bulle Clockette has a dark wooden base, with the dial and movement arranged close together above it. The oval glass dome by Elme Glasbruk is decorated with large frosted flowers, leaves and sweeping tendrils. The brass-coloured dial, delicate construction and pendulum remain visible behind the floral decoration. The blue coil adds a splash of colour against the base and brass surfaces.
Electromagnetic impulses keep the pendulum moving. A coil on the pendulum passes over a curved permanent magnet; a contact closes the circuit at the right moment. The pendulum’s motion is transferred mechanically to the hands. The movement operates at 1.5 volts.
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.