Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

If you’re a serious clock collector or clock repair enthusiast, you probably know the feeling.

You go away on vacation for a few weeks—or perhaps several months—and after a while, you start missing your clocks. Not just looking at them. You miss working on them.

You miss sitting at the bench with a movement in front of you. You miss taking something apart to find out why it isn’t running. You miss cleaning a movement, replacing a bushing, polishing a pivot, cleaning and lubricating a mainspring, or making that final adjustment that gets a stubborn clock ticking again.

Unfortunately, you can’t exactly pack your entire clock workshop into the car or a suitcase.

So, what do you do when you’re away from your clocks and all the tools you’ve accumulated over the years?

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to stay involved in the hobby—even when you’re nowhere near your workshop.

Go Clock Shopping

One of the easiest ways to stay connected with the hobby is to go shopping. And you don’t necessarily have to buy anything. I call it window shopping.

Being away from home can actually give you more time to explore online clock dealers, auction sites, classified advertisements and other sources of antique and vintage clocks. This can be a good opportunity to research clocks that you normally wouldn’t have time to investigate.

Maybe you’ve always wanted a particular clock. Perhaps you’re looking for a that particlar model that you have precviosusly searched for and have not found.

Spend some time looking. Compare prices. Study photographs. Look at the movements. Read descriptions carefully. And, most importantly, learn to recognize the difference between a clock that looks interesting and one that is actually worth pursuing.

You don’t even have to buy one. Sometimes the hunt is half the fun. Sometimes the desire to have something is just as satisfying as having it.

Of course, being away from home can make buying a clock a little more cintersting. You have to think about shipping, storage, transportation and, eventually, getting the clock home safely. If is small enough it can go into the trunk, if traveling by car. Otherwise, it can get complicated.

That doesn’t mean you can’t shop. It just means that sometimes the best decision is the one you decide not to make.

Visit a Clock Museum

If you’re travelling, look for dedicated clock museums or museums with added antique clock collections. This may be one of the best ways to combine a vacation with your hobby.

A museum can provide something that online photographs simply can’t: the opportunity to stand in front of clocks and actually see them in person.

You can study the cases, movements, dial designs and construction details. You may discover manufacturers you’ve never heard of or see examples of clocks that you have only encountered in books.

For me, visiting a clock museum is also an opportunity to learn.

Every time I visit a good collection, I seem to come away with something new—a detail about a manufacturer, a particular movement design, or an idea for something I want to research when I get home.

And don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Museum curators and volunteers are often passionate about the subject themselves, and a conversation with someone who knows the collection can be just as valuable as looking at the clocks.

My favorite clock museum is The Canadian Clock Museum located in Deep River, Ontario, a facinating museum I have written about a number of times.

Look for Clock Shows and Antique Shows near you

If your travels take you anywhere near a clock or horological show, make an effort to attend.

Clock shows are particularly valuable because you’re not just looking at clocks. You’re meeting people who share the same interest.

You may find dealers selling clocks, movements and parts. There may be collectors displaying their collections, people buying and selling tools, and individuals who specialize in repairing or restoring clocks.

Even if you don’t buy anything, you can learn a great deal simply by walking around and talking to people. Antique clock shows can also be surprisingly productive. You never know what might turn up on a dealer’s table.

And there’s something special about finding an interesting clock in person rather than discovering it on a computer screen.

Take a Walking Tour of Antique Shops

If you’re staying somewhere for an extended period, find out where the local antique shops are.

You might be surprised at what you find.

Not every antique shop has good clocks, of course. Some may have nothing but decorative reproductions, Asian knock-offs or very common clocks that have not retained any value. Others may have a few interesting examples tucked away in a corner. I have found some of my most prized clocks hidden away in a corner of an antique mall.

But that’s part of the adventure.

You can learn a lot about the local antique market simply by seeing what is available and what prices are being asked.

The antique shops of Amonte, Ontario is a particular favorite for my wife and I.

Research the Local Clock History

Another way to keep the hobby alive is to investigate the clock history of the area you’re visiting.

Every region has a history, and many places have connections to clockmaking, watchmaking, manufacturing or the antique trade. Search for local clockmakers. Look for old advertisements. Visit local historical societies. Check out libraries and archives. Look for old photographs and newspaper advertisements.

You may discover that the town you’re staying in once had a clockmaker or jeweller who sold clocks and watches.

That kind of research can lead to an entirely new rabbit hole—and if you’re a clock collector, you probably know that rabbit holes are part of the hobby.

Photograph Interesting Clocks

Even if you aren’t buying clocks, take photographs. If you see an interesting clock in an antique shop, museum, hotel, historic building or private collection, photograph it. Get pictures of the case. Get a picture of the dial. If possible, photograph the movement. Take pictures of labels, trademarks and manufacturer markings.

You may not have time to research the clock while you’re travelling, but when you get home you can sit down at the computer and start investigating.

A photograph taken in five minutes can sometimes provide hours of research later.

Read Clock Books and Articles

Being away from the workshop is also a good opportunity to do something that is sometimes neglected when we’re busy repairing clocks: read. Take a clock book with you. Read articles about clockmakers. Research online resources; there’s plenty out there and many are reputable sources. Learn about different escapements. Study movement identification.

Read about restoration techniques. Research manufacturers you’ve never encountered before.

There is always something else to learn in this hobby.

And sometimes reading about a repair technique while you’re away from the bench gives you an idea that you can try when you return home.

Watch Clock Repair Videos

The internet has made it possible to watch clock repairs being performed by people all over the world.

While watching someone else repair a clock is certainly not a substitute for doing the work yourself, it can be a useful learning experience.

You can watch how another repairer approaches a problem, how they dismantle a movement, how they inspect pivots, how they approach worn bushings, what tools they use, and how they set the beat. Sometimes you’ll discover a technique that is completely different from the way you’ve been doing something.

However, a word of caution about YouTube: not everything you see is necessarily good advice. Some repair videos contain inaccurate information, questionable techniques, or repairs that are poorly executed. In some cases, what appears to be an acceptable repair may actually be an amateurish shortcut that a professional or experienced repairer would never recommend. Before adopting a technique simply because you saw someone do it in a video, it’s worth checking the information against reputable horological books, experienced repairers, or other authoritative sources.

Sometimes you’ll discover a technique that is completely different from the way you’ve been doing something—and it may be an improvement. Other times, you may discover exactly how not to do something.

If it is good advice you may find yourself thinking, “I’m going to try that when I get home.”

Keep Notes

One thing I find particularly useful is keeping a list of things I want to investigate or accomplish when I get back to the workshop.

Perhaps you see a clock online that interests you. Write it down. You find an interesting repair technique. Write it down. You discover a clockmaker you’ve never heard of. Write it down. You think of a clock in your own collection that needs attention. Write it down.

By the time you return home, you may have a surprisingly long list of projects.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Work on the Hobby Without Actually Working on a Clock

This may sound strange, but sometimes the best way to stay involved in your hobby is to step away from the physical work for a while.

Think about what you enjoy most about the hobby. Is it collecting? Is it the research? The history of the clock or its maker? A repair? Photographing a clock Buying and selling clocks? Learning about thir makers?

There is no rule saying that you have to have a movement sitting on your workbench to be participating in the hobby.

For me, the hobby is much larger than simply repairing clocks. The clocks themselves lead to history, research, photography, collecting and writing.

Being away from the workshop simply gives those other parts of the hobby a chance to take centre stage.

Things you can do to fortify your hobby

Sometimes we become so accustomed to our hobbies that we forget how much we enjoy them. A little time away can make you appreciate them all over again.

You may have joined a hobby group that either meets online or in person like a Facebook group. You may have found some old clock books in an antique shop, read them. For me, writing about clocks keeps me energized while I am away.

And Then There’s the Return Home

Perhaps the best part of being away from your clocks is coming home to them.

After several weeks without working on a movement, that first trip to the workshop can be surprisingly enjoyable.

There they are. The clocks you’ve been thinking about. The movement you left half-finished. The project you promised yourself you’d get back to. The clock you’ve been meaning to clean. And perhaps a new clock that you found while you were away.

Being away can actually renew your enthusiasm.

The Hobby Doesn’t Have to Go on Vacation With You

You may not be able to take your ultrasonic cleaner, staking set, bushing tools, broaches and cleaning equipment with you.

And perhaps that’s a good thing. Instead, take your curiosity, take a camera, take a notebook take a computer or tablet, and keep your eyes open.

Look for clocks, museums, antique shops, shows, talk to collectors, do some research, take photographs, and something new.

You may not be able to repair a clock while you’re away, but you can still be engaged in your hobby.