Striking mantel clock, 1920s

Overview

This mantel clock, in a four-glass case on a marble base, was made by ATO, a French company founded by Léon Hatot in 1920 (using the middle three letters of the founder’s name). Along with their rivals, Bulle, ATO pioneered battery clock technology in France and soon became known for high-quality ‘regulator’ clocks as well as smaller table clocks like this one, presented in a range of cases suited to the contemporary Art Deco interior. This is a comparatively unusual example of an ATO table clock with a striking mechanism, advertised in 1929 as the result of ‘several years of research’. In common with many French clocks, it strikes on the hour and again at the half hour.