This remarkable clock, with its rich amaranth veneers and finely chased rocaille mounts, once in the collection of the noted scientist and amateur mechanical expert, Michel-Ferdinand d'Albert, 5th duc de Chaulnes, displays a remarkable arrangement of dials, which, according to Winthrop Edey in his catalogue to the Frick exhibition, may well be unique. They include the charming feature of an aperture in which a sign engraved with the instruction 'REMONTEZ MOY' appears when the movement requires rewinding.

The movement is attributed by Augarde to the noted horloger Alexis Magny (1712-1793), a prodigious horological talent who at the remarkable age of 22 invented a meridian that was approved by the Academy of Sciences in 1734. A protegé of the duc de Chaulnes, for whom this unusual clock was probably created, he was for many years a mechanic to Bonnier de la Mosson. The duc de Chaulnes, Capitaine des Chevaux-légers de la Garde, was a distinguished mathematician, member of the Académie des Sciences, and of the cultivated inner circle of Madame de Pompadour. His cabinet, filled with ingenious mechanical instruments, rare natural specimens and astronomical clocks reflected his passion for the natural sciences and mechanical arts. This passion was also shared by Louis XV and the two met frequently to discuss their shared interests. In 1750, the duc, upon Madame de Pompadour's recommendation, presented the King with an extraordinary astronomical clock which had taken Claude-Simon Passemant and Louis Duthiau almost 20 years to perfect. It is therefore not surprising that the present cartonnier clock, with its finely-executed case and elaborate movement, was once part of de Chaulnes' collection.