Antique and Vintage Clocks

Though my collection consists of mechanical clocks exclusively, now there is an exception, a vintage Sessions electric table clock, model 3W with sweep second hand, made, of course, by the Sessions Clock Co. Forestville, Connecticut in 1936 and sold in Canada (a Canadian Standards Approval sticker is on the back).

Also on the back, it states that it consumes 2.5 watts, They couldn’t call it model 2.5! It was probably a very affordable clock in its day and available almost anywhere.

At 4 1/2 inches tall and 8 1/4 inches wide, it would fit on any countertop, bookcase etc. although because it lacks an alarm it would not be a bedside table clock. There is only one control in the rear, a push-and-twist-in knob that sets the time. Pretty simple!

It arrived with a missing plug, a detached minute hand and a finish that was almost completely worn off but the convex glass, face, brass bezel and motor are all in very good condition.

I purchased a new plug at the local hardware store, installed it, sprayed the motor with De-oxIT electrical contact cleaner and plugged it in (the cord is in excellent condition). It keeps perfect time and it should since it has a synchronous motor that operates at 60 cycles which means the rotation of the shaft is synchronized with the frequency of the supply current, exactly equal to 60 cycles.

The clock is self-starting. Unplugging and replugging it tells me that it is.

I decided to refinish the case since the dial looks so good and the clock runs well, but I’ll cover that in another post.