Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

Although I have a small collection of mantel and wall clocks made by the Arthur Pequegnat Clock Co., I have always wanted a hall clock. Pequegnat referred to their tall-case clocks as “hall clocks,” rather than grandfather, tall-case, or long-case clocks. The word “hall” gives these clocks a special distinction in my view.

Pequegnat made seven hall clocks, the Alberta, the Canada, Halifax, Leader, Nelson, Vancouver and the Vernon. All models appear in the 1913 catalogue but by 1928 only the Alberta, Canada and Vernon remained.

All photos below are at The Canadian Clock Museum in Deep River, Ontario. I have not seen the Vancouver on display during my visits over the years, so a photo of that model is missing. Skip Kerr, a long-time Canadian collector of clocks, has one in his collection that you can see here.

Distinctive features

One of the most important distinctions is that Pequegnat’s movements were manufactured in its Berlin/Kitchener factory. The company wasn’t simply importing a foreign movement and putting it into a Canadian case. The result is an all-Canadian hall clock.

Oak is particularly characteristic of Pequegnat cases though walnut and mahogany were available as upgrades. The cases tend to have a furniture-like quality rather than the more elaborate Victorian appearance found on many American and European tall clocks.

Depending on the model and period, you will see turned or square columns, shaped pediments, applied moldings and decorative woodwork. The overall effect is often substantial without being excessively ornate.

The dials are another useful identifying feature. Some examples have silvered or brass dials while others have numerals and hands on a wood face. The Alberta, for example, is documented with a brass dial.

This is particularly interesting for collectors. Pequegnat produced hall clocks using both weight-driven and spring-driven movements. The Canada model, for example, exists in both versions. In me view, the weight versions are much more desirable.

The names themselves are distinctive. Halifax, Canada, Nelson, Leader, Vernon, Vancouver and Alberta reinforce Pequegnat’s deliberate Canadian identity. Though the hall clocks had Canadian place names, many of the company’s clocks were named after Canadian places and symbols.

Of all the models, the Nelson is my favorite. It is 81 inches in height, 22 1/2 inches in width and is 13 inches deep. It has the bevelled glass in the front door panel. It comes with a sunken dial which I think adds to the design. It has an eight day weighted movement with brass weights, and it has the double strike on tuned rods for the hour and the half hour.

Now to find one.