Antique and Vintage Clocks

Once a year we travel to central Canada and since I am always on the lookout for clocks when I am on the road, they can show up in the strangest of places.

We stopped a a boutique hotel in downtown Quebec City and came across this Snider Starburst clock in the dining area. Many folks do not realize that Snider clocks are distinctively Canadian. According to the Canadian Clock Museum, “the Snider Clock Corporation, was set up in 1950 by Harry Snider, who operated a wholesale jeweler business on Yonge Street at the time.  The company name was changed in 1957 to the Snider Clock Mfg Co. Limited.  Over a period of more than twenty-five years until 1976 there were hundreds of models of Snider mantel, TV lamp, and wall clocks designed and manufactured in Toronto”.

In the same boutique hotel beside the Snider clock was a wine vending machine. How cool is that!

This fine looking Scottish Hugh Gordon tall-case clock located in a home near Montreal, was made somewhere between 1760 and 1770. The clock is majestic and certainly defines the room though I wish it were in my room! The cabinet is in excellent condition but the movement requires attention that can only be provided by professional horologist.

I like the lines of this clock. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought it. This Smiths Enfield Art Deco clock was discovered at this antique shop in Haliburton, Ontario and it has become our newest cottage clock.

I am not a fan of pillar clocks although I do have a couple. This six pillar Sessions time and strike seems to be in good shape though the dial may need replacing or restoration. Some would leave it as-is. I am personally not a fan of replacing a dial but if the numbers are unreadable it can be an option.

What is it? Is it French, is it British? Could even be American. There are no markings on the dial face. I am leaning towards French.

I saw this in an antique store and hummed and hawed over whether I should buy it or not. We were with friends and they loved it. I thought about it, went back a week later, made an offer and now it is sitting on a buffet at home. It works well, runs a full eight days but has a jeweled movement which concerns me. I am not comfortable having this clock run continuously until I know how to service it. Heck I can’t even find a way to open it up to inspect it. For the moment I will run it only on special occasions until my skill level improves enough to allow me to investigate further.

The above clock, another find in an antique store is possibly French or American. I believe Ansonia made clocks very similar to this. I am going to call it an Ansonia.

A Seth Thomas Beehive and a Waterbury time and strike wall clock. Both are in very good condition but a tad on the pricey side.

My wife took a quick cell phone shot of this clock in another antique shop. Not the best image.

It is a Kienzle 3-train German clock and no matter how hard I look I cannot find another like it. Could be a one-of. If you know anything about it please drop me a line.

That’s about it. I found another tall-case clock in a restaurant in Quebec City. It looked like a combination of several clocks although the cabinet was nice. So, somebody messed with it. Should have taken a photo!