Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

There is no single method of dating an antique or vintage clock but there are some strong clues in some cases and subtle inferences in others that help determine when a clock was manufactured. Occasionally, the exact month and year is displayed somewhere on the case, and in other instances the clock by way of serial numbers, date stamps on the movement, style of hands, spandrels, dial design, case design, and so on, establishes the date to within a certain period.

This is by no means an exhaustive reference but my thoughts on how to date a clock. I will therefore rely on various examples in my collection.

This is the first part of a two-part article. In the second part, I will explore additional clues for determining a clock’s age.

Elisha Manross steeple clock

This Elisha Manross clock is an attractive steeple design. Steeple clocks were made in the thousands from the early 1830s to the end of the century. A steeple clock is a type of mantel or shelf clock characterized by its pointed, spire-like top, which resembles the steeple of a church. These clocks were particularly popular in the mid-19th century and were produced by various American and Canadian clockmakers, including Seth Thomas, Chauncey Jerome, and others.

Elisha Manross was an important pioneer of the Connecticut clock and lived from 1792 to 1856 and he was the maker of the steeple clock pictured above. A distinctive feature of this particular clock is brass mainsprings.

From 1836 to 1850 brass mainsprings were used in clocks because steel was considered very expensive. It was not until 1847 that the tempered steel mainspring developed for everyday clocks was introduced and with it, the brass mainspring faded into clock history.

This provides an important clue when dating this clock, that it was made before 1850. The second clue is the label located inside the case. Elihu Gere, the printer was in business at 10 State Street Hartford Conn. The printer’s name and address are located on the bottom of the label And this tells us that the printer was at this location until 1847. Armed with these pieces of information one can date the clock from about 1845 to 1847.

Daniel Pratt Jr reverse ogee columns with splat top

Next, is a Daniel Pratt Jr. shelf clock. A distinctive feature of this clock is that it has a woodworks movement. A woodworks movement is a type of clock mechanism/movement made predominantly from wood rather than metal. These movements were commonly produced in the early 19th century, particularly in the United States, during a time when wood was more affordable and readily available than brass or steel. Woodworks movements were very common before 1840 and were considered the first mass-produced clocks.

Daniel Pratt (1797-1871), Jr., clock-maker, banker, town clerk, and legislator, lived in the town of Reading, Massachusetts, in the 1800s. Pratt did not contribute much to clock-making and was widely regarded as an entrepreneur rather than an innovator.

This particular Daniel Pratt Jr. reverse Ogee shelf clock was made in Reading, Massachusetts, c. 1832-38, within that six-year period. It has a splat-top mahogany case with half reverse Ogee moldings flanking the door, painted wooden Roman numeral dial, mirrored lower tablet, and wood dial face. The mirrored tablet was considered a luxury at the time.

McLachlan tall case clock

It is a classic Scottish design from the mid-1800s. The removable bonnet is 23 inches at its widest point, the waist is 15 3/4 inches wide and the base is 20 inches wide. The bonnet has tapered columns on either side. The dial access door which covers the entire bonnet swings to the right. The solid wood access door on the waist measures 9 X 24.

The well-preserved sheet iron white dial has painted spandrels, each one depicting an ewe with a lamb and a painted arch top showing a man resting on a rock with two working horses directly behind.

The robust movement is made in the Guild style and movements contained in these clocks are commonly called “English bell strikes” with anchor escapements.

McLachlan was not a clock-maker in the true sense of the word but rather an assembler, bringing the dial, clock case, and movement together to assemble into a tall case clock for a particular customer. Signatures on a clock dial may or may not refer to someone other than the clock-maker. 19th-century retailers and distributors often put their own names on clocks in an attempt to ‘brand’ their products. The actual movement may have been made by someone else likely in Birmingham England. 19th-century clock cases were almost always made separately from the movement and are rarely signed.

The name Wm McLachlan, of Newton and Stewart, is inscribed on the dial. In his book, Clock-makers & Watchmakers of Scotland 1453 to 1900 David Whyte lists McLachlan, William, clock & watchmaker in Newton-Stewart, Wigtownshire as a business advertised for sale on 25 May 1852. McLachlan either retired or passed away before the sale date. Newton-Stewart is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.

This clock was therefore made between 1848 and 1852. The painted dial which originated in or around 1810, the style of the hands, the style of spandrels, the shape of the arched dial, and the shape of the case are other clues that it was made within that period.

Sessions Beveled #2 tambour style mantel clock

This Sessions tambour style clock represents a very popular style of clock sold in the 1920s and 1930s in the USA.

It is a fairly attractive mantel clock featuring a toned mahogany finish with faux inlay below the dial face. Faux inlay was an affordable way to enhance a clock’s decorative details and a common feature of clocks of this type in the 1920s.

Sometimes, the exact date of manufacture can be pinpointed down to the year and month, making dating straightforward. In this instance, the clock was produced in September 1927.

Arthur Pequegnat kitchen clock

Dating a clock can sometimes be challenging, and unfortunately, this particular clock is difficult to date with precision.

In Canada, the Arthur Pequegnat Clock Company produced clocks from 1903 to 1941. Before the First World War, the company operated in Berlin, Canada. During the war, the city’s name was changed to Kitchener in 1917 due to anti-German sentiment at the time. This small piece of information helps to approximate the date of a Pequegnat clock.

Below the six on the dial is the inscription “The Arthur Pequegnat Clock Co. Berlin, Canada,” but neither the case nor the movement provides any clues to narrow the date beyond the period between 1904 and 1917.

I hope the examples I’ve shared provide some helpful insights into dating a clock. This is the first part of a two-part article; in the second part, I will discuss additional clues for determining a clock’s age.