Lot Essay
According to the Archives of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the manufacture of the present Atmos I clock can be dated to 1934-1935. This reference A3 model is fitted with a thermic movement driven by mercury.
This clock is certainly one of the most attractive examples of the celebrated Atmos model to be offered in public in recent years. An epitome of the elegant Art Deco style, its principle characteristic is the shagreen-covered case. Retailed by the celebrated Kirby, Beard & Co. in Paris, it is furthermore preserved in very good, original overall condition.
The thermic movement was invented in the late 1920s by the young engineer Jean-Léon Reutter who experimented with a clock which would not need direct mechanical or electrical intervention to keep it wound, a clock powered only by Perpetual Motion. The result was an ingenious new clock unlike any other, past or present, a timepiece that would run independently and continuously, so incredibly sensitive that it could be rewound by the slightest fluctuations in the atmosphere or by the slightest changes in temperature, hence the name: "Atmos Clock". The first models, such as the present clock, were called Reutter Atmos I.
Reutter's system was patented in 1928 and improved by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Since 1935, the company produces these highly popular timepieces in different sizes and styles.
Kirby Beard & Co.
Dating back to the 18th century Gloucester, England, the firm started as pin makers, later expanding to a needle factory in Birmingham and a retail shop in Paris. By 1897, the now highly regarded Kirby, Beard & Co. had opened branches in London and New York, selling a wide selection of top of the range goods exclusively from the most renowned manufacturers, including clocks, watches, furniture, silver and jewellery beside products from their own needle factory and haberdashery range.
This clock is certainly one of the most attractive examples of the celebrated Atmos model to be offered in public in recent years. An epitome of the elegant Art Deco style, its principle characteristic is the shagreen-covered case. Retailed by the celebrated Kirby, Beard & Co. in Paris, it is furthermore preserved in very good, original overall condition.
The thermic movement was invented in the late 1920s by the young engineer Jean-Léon Reutter who experimented with a clock which would not need direct mechanical or electrical intervention to keep it wound, a clock powered only by Perpetual Motion. The result was an ingenious new clock unlike any other, past or present, a timepiece that would run independently and continuously, so incredibly sensitive that it could be rewound by the slightest fluctuations in the atmosphere or by the slightest changes in temperature, hence the name: "Atmos Clock". The first models, such as the present clock, were called Reutter Atmos I.
Reutter's system was patented in 1928 and improved by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Since 1935, the company produces these highly popular timepieces in different sizes and styles.
Kirby Beard & Co.
Dating back to the 18th century Gloucester, England, the firm started as pin makers, later expanding to a needle factory in Birmingham and a retail shop in Paris. By 1897, the now highly regarded Kirby, Beard & Co. had opened branches in London and New York, selling a wide selection of top of the range goods exclusively from the most renowned manufacturers, including clocks, watches, furniture, silver and jewellery beside products from their own needle factory and haberdashery range.