Watchmaker Bernard Draux made an unexpected discovery a few months ago by examining a pile of cast iron parts in an unoccupied garage near the town hall of Versailles (Yvelines).

“It was the clock of the Notre-Dame de Versailles church,” he told the

Parisian

.

The expert was able to identify this notable element of the heritage dating from 1763 thanks to an engraved cog.

We can indeed read the name of the creator, Nicolas Collette, inscribed next to a fleur-de-lis, symbol of a royal commission.

An unexpected rediscovery

With the help of several municipal employees, the watchmaker then laid out the various elements of the clock.

Some parts, like the bolts, had been carefully stored in cloth.

This is a rediscovery all the more unexpected since the clock was built in cast iron.

“At the time, we were sinking everything we could to feed the guns in wartime,” explained Bernard Draux.

Several weeks should be necessary to fully reassemble the object ordered by Louis XV and be able to exhibit it to share its historical value.

Only one piece is potentially missing from the Versailles treasury.

This is the small minute hand.

"In the 18th century, it was common to have clocks with a single hand", however specifies Bernard Draux.

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