A French  Comtoise clock has long been on my radar as an object of desire.

The Comtoise clock, also known as a Morbier or Morez clock is a longcase

clock made in France on the French-Swiss border in the Jura region.

These clocks were made from the late 1600s to the late 1800s

when they were most prolific.  My clock is dated from the 1860s,

and they are easy to date based upon the details of

the clock's appearance.

This book's cover gives a quick overview from the earliest to the latest clock

face styles.  My Comtoise has the surrounding brass repousee work. 

The long two piece pendulum is brass repousee featuring an urn with flowers and grapevine

leaves with grapes and wheat.  These two parts fit inside of a long case that would
have been made by a farmer or local craftsmen to hold the clockworks. Eventually

little factories sprung up that took over the making of these clocks putting the farmers

out of business.   They are distinctive clocks and once you become aware of them

you may be captured by their unique beauty, as I was.

My clock comes with a long case and the weights,

the pendulum and the face with the clock works intact.

At least this is what I expected to find at the auction house 

based on the photo of it in the catalogue. 

But in reality it was looking like a bit of a wreck as it was 

disassembled and kind of pulled apart, 

leaning against a cabinet very unceremoniously. 

You...