The clock outside Chartres Cathedral is housed in a little Renaissance style pavilion. The current clock was installed in 1887 by the clockmaker Alb. Renouf, behind the dial where the hour hand give the time. The clock had a 1000 kg driving weight that required 2 men to raise the weight 25 metres every ten days.
L’horloge à l’extérieur de la cathédrale de Chartres se trouve dans un petit pavillon de style renaissance. L’horloge actuelle fut installée par l’horloger chartrain, Alb. Renouf, en 1887 derrière le cadran où une aiguille donnait l’heure. Cette horloge était actionnée par un poids moteur de 1000 kg remonté sur 25 m par deux hommes tous les dix jours.
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6 replies on “The Cathedral Clock – L'horloge de la cathédrale”
I don’t recall ever hearing the term driving weight, so I had to look it up. I like the detail here.
I had to check it out to!
I don’t remember this clock at all, but maybe it was under scaffolding when we visited (ahem…more than a decade ago now…)
I didn’t remember it either, but that’s not surprising for me …
Not an easy read to see the time from a distance. Your text gives the idea that there is not a minute hand. We have a modern clock that only has an hour hand – the minute and second pointers have dropped off.
For a long time, clocks only had hour hands. I suppose it was already a step further than the sundial.