1930s Green Bayard Luxe French Travel Alarm Clock

$158.00
An elegantly timeworn 1930s Bayard Luxe French travel alarm clock with a green painted metal case, silver-tone stepped trim, and a beautifully patterned Art Deco dial. The front has that wonderful little architectural shape: part desk clock, part miniature train-station timekeeper, part “I belong in a Paris hotel lobby but somehow fit in your hand.”

The clock is mechanical and wind-up, not battery operated. It ticks and keeps excellent time. The alarm does not currently ring: it is wound, can be set, and appears to engage, but it never goes off. The clock comes with its original folding travel case, which is worn, aged, and full of character.

📚 Historical Context

Before travel clocks became plastic hotel-nightstand afterthoughts, they were tiny machines built for people on the move. This Bayard Luxe came from France’s long-running clockmaking world, with Bayard tied to the Saint-Nicolas-d’Aliermont region of Normandy, a town known for turning small practical clocks into serious little pieces of engineering.

By the 1930s, travel clocks had a job to do. They had to survive luggage, rail stations, hotel rooms, and the occasional rough morning after a very French evening. So Bayard gave this one a stout metal case, a jeweled lever escapement, a folding protective case, and an Art Deco face that looked modern without trying too hard. The result is a compact mechanical clock from the era when portable timekeeping still involved springs, gears, tiny screws, and the quiet confidence of a machine that had no interest in being disposable.

The “Luxe” marking is also worth noting. This was not Bayard’s plainest travel clock. The rear plate is marked in both English and French for a jeweled lever escapement (“Lever Escapement / Jewelled” and “Échappement Ancre Empierré”) pointing to a higher-grade mechanical design than a basic alarm clock of the period.

✨ Condition Notes

- Clock ticks and keeps excellent time.
- Alarm does not currently ring. It is wound, can be set, and appears to engage, but it never goes off.
- Green painted metal case shows visible paint loss, edge wear, scratches, and age-related finish wear.
- Silver-tone/chrome trim shows oxidation, patina, scratches, and surface wear.
- Dial is attractive with a textured Art Deco geometric pattern, applied-style numerals, and “Bayard Luxe” marking.
- Dial is marked “French Make” near the lower edge.
- Rear plate is marked “Lever Escapement / Jewelled” and “Échappement Ancre Empierré.”
- Original folding travel case is included and shows significant age wear, staining, fraying, fabric separation, and exterior wear.
- Glass/crystal shows light vintage wear and surface marks.
- This is a vintage mechanical clock and may require occasional adjustment or regulation after shipping.

📏 Measurements (approximate)

Clock height: ~3.25 in
Clock width: ~3.25 in
Clock depth: ~2.25 in

Closed travel case: ~4 in tall x ~3.75 in wide x ~3.25 in deep

📦 Packaging

Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
An elegantly timeworn 1930s Bayard Luxe French travel alarm clock with a green painted metal case, silver-tone stepped trim, and a beautifully patterned Art Deco dial. The front has that wonderful little architectural shape: part desk clock, part miniature train-station timekeeper, part “I belong in a Paris hotel lobby but somehow fit in your hand.”

The clock is mechanical and wind-up, not battery operated. It ticks and keeps excellent time. The alarm does not currently ring: it is wound, can be set, and appears to engage, but it never goes off. The clock comes with its original folding travel case, which is worn, aged, and full of character.

📚 Historical Context

Before travel clocks became plastic hotel-nightstand afterthoughts, they were tiny machines built for people on the move. This Bayard Luxe came from France’s long-running clockmaking world, with Bayard tied to the Saint-Nicolas-d’Aliermont region of Normandy, a town known for turning small practical clocks into serious little pieces of engineering.

By the 1930s, travel clocks had a job to do. They had to survive luggage, rail stations, hotel rooms, and the occasional rough morning after a very French evening. So Bayard gave this one a stout metal case, a jeweled lever escapement, a folding protective case, and an Art Deco face that looked modern without trying too hard. The result is a compact mechanical clock from the era when portable timekeeping still involved springs, gears, tiny screws, and the quiet confidence of a machine that had no interest in being disposable.

The “Luxe” marking is also worth noting. This was not Bayard’s plainest travel clock. The rear plate is marked in both English and French for a jeweled lever escapement (“Lever Escapement / Jewelled” and “Échappement Ancre Empierré”) pointing to a higher-grade mechanical design than a basic alarm clock of the period.

✨ Condition Notes

- Clock ticks and keeps excellent time.
- Alarm does not currently ring. It is wound, can be set, and appears to engage, but it never goes off.
- Green painted metal case shows visible paint loss, edge wear, scratches, and age-related finish wear.
- Silver-tone/chrome trim shows oxidation, patina, scratches, and surface wear.
- Dial is attractive with a textured Art Deco geometric pattern, applied-style numerals, and “Bayard Luxe” marking.
- Dial is marked “French Make” near the lower edge.
- Rear plate is marked “Lever Escapement / Jewelled” and “Échappement Ancre Empierré.”
- Original folding travel case is included and shows significant age wear, staining, fraying, fabric separation, and exterior wear.
- Glass/crystal shows light vintage wear and surface marks.
- This is a vintage mechanical clock and may require occasional adjustment or regulation after shipping.

📏 Measurements (approximate)

Clock height: ~3.25 in
Clock width: ~3.25 in
Clock depth: ~2.25 in

Closed travel case: ~4 in tall x ~3.75 in wide x ~3.25 in deep

📦 Packaging

Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.