I am a retired college professor based in Nova Scotia Canada, live in a little village just outside Truro and collect vintage and antique clocks that I repair and maintain. I also write about horological areas of interest and of interesting clocks and clock stories that I encounter on my travels. In the spring of … More 2016 – Time to reflect, a year in summary
I prefer time-only clocks above anything else. They are simple to work on and because they are less complex they tend to be more accurate, relatively speaking. Most are easy to service but this little guy has me stumped. Thousands of these relatively small German movements were made and some found their way into small … More Stubborn little plate clock movement
The world is changing and sadly, we are living in an increasingly throw-away society. We are taught at an early age that not many things are meant to last and using a throw-away product “guarantees” that the new product will function much better, but does it? I read a news article recently that Norway plans … More 9 reasons why you should buy a mechanical clock
When I first started clock collecting and repair many people said to me, stay as far away as you can from those darned Chinese wall clocks. They are garbage! They have thin plates, are cheaply made with many stamped parts and they explode without warning. Not true! Oh, yes, they have thin plates and many … More Why I love my Daniel Dakota wall clock
How Far Do You Go to Repair or Restore a Clock? How far should one go to repair, restore, or conserve a clock without changing it in a significant way? Minimal invasive intervention is a term I “borrowed” from a clock forum I frequent. Some collectors argue that any work done on an antique clock … More Minimal Invasive intervention – repair, restore or conserve? The Ingraham Huron | A Case in Point
It is a question many clock owners face when confronted with a nonfunctional antique or vintage clock. Whether it’s a handed-down family heirloom, a vintage find from a flea market, or a sentimental gift, deciding whether to invest in repairs can feel daunting. Beyond its monetary value, a clock’s worth often lies in its history, … More Is my clock worth fixing?
Sadly the number of antique shops in Nova Scotia is dwindling. We were antiquing in the city of Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) this past spring and one of the store owners remarked that there used to be dozens of antique shops in the city, now only a few remain. There are still a few antique … More Antiquing on a Sunday afternoon
When I bought my Ingersoll-Waterbury clock a year ago I knew that it had not been serviced but the price was reasonable and it was running. I got a lot of other projects out of the way and have finally gotten around to giving this clock a little care and attention. Ingersoll-Waterbury clocks were sold in … More Ingersoll Waterbury mantel clock servicing and a little mystery thrown in for good measure
My quest for a one-weight Vienna Regulator ended this past week and I am now in possession of a miniature rather than a traditional antique Vienna wall clock. Here are first impressions back in 2016. This attractive unmarked Vienna Regulator one-weight (time-only) clock is 34 inches long 4.75 inches deep and 11 inches at it’s … More One weight Vienna Regulator miniature
My Kern anniversary clock was a real deal at $7.23 though it came without its glass dome and it was missing one movement support thumb screw (there should be two). The intent was to learn all about… Source: Kern 400 day clock, first attempt at torsion clock servicing
I had a discussion with David, a horologist acquaintance who is currently working on my 138 year old Ingraham Huron mantel clock (pictured above) about clock repairs in days gone by. He said he had happened to have a conversation a few days ago with an 82 year friend who had been in the clock repair … More Clock repair in days gone by
I am not sure where you would have found a Waterbury Arion. It is really too small for a schoolhouse clock or an office clock unless it was a tiny office. Nevertheless, enough of them were made since they are fairly common. I bought this time-only clock from an older gentleman in Halifax, Nova Scotia.. … More New glass and bezel for Waterbury Arion
I have in my collection an unsigned 8-day carriage clock in a moulded rectangular brass case. This attractive little clock has a white enamel dial with Roman numerals, blued steel hands and a spring driven movement with platform lever escapement visible through the top beveled glass. The moulded brass case has beveled glass panels on all sides complete with a … More The French Carriage clock
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 … More Clocks I discovered on my summer travels (2016)
I have related the story of this most interesting Ingraham Huron mantel clock in an earlier blog which you can read about here. I purchased it at what I believe was a reasonable price from an older couple near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia who were in the midst of downsizing. It had been in their family … More Ingraham Huron – off to the shop for restoration!
In Maritime Canada, this weekend marks the time to turn the clocks back. We have a saying, “Spring forward, fall behind,” which refers to the switch from Atlantic Daylight Savings Time (DST) to Standard Time on November 6th, moving the clocks back by one hour. As a result, we gain “an extra hour of daylight” … More Idioms and expressions with the word “clock” in them
In the clock world Germany is well known for well engineered, precision clocks. Juba Schatz is not a name one comes across often but it has solid roots in the German clock making industry. This a an antique shop find of a clock that dates from the mid to late 1940s. Its design is understated, … More Juba Schatz bim-bam mantel clock
Everybody appreciates a serviced clock when they are making a purchase. However, there is no acceptable definition for the term “Fully Serviced”. Fully serviced may mean one thing for the amateur clock collector and repairer and another to a professional clock repair shop. The other day I was responding to a FaceBook post which offered a … More What the term a “fully serviced” clock really means
If you know the maker, let me know or direct me to where I can find out. I was in an antique shop in a small village in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia lately and came across this unusual box-type wall clock. I glanced at the back of the clock and noticed that the wall … More Mystery clock – if you know the maker, let me know
I absolutely love Art Deco clocks. They are understated, elegant, have great collector value and are timeless, of course (!). Although we tend to throw the term around loosely Art Deco is actually derived from the phrase Arts Décoratifs which was a dominant decorative art style of the 1920s and 1930s, it’s heyday. This unique form is characterized … More Smiths Enfield Art Deco mantel clock
My next project is this vintage Ingersoll-Waterbury time and strike mantel clock. Ingersoll-Waterbury clocks were sold in Canada and had Canadian made cases using American made Waterbury movements. G.R. L’Esperance of Montreal were the sole distributors of Ingersoll-Waterbury clocks in Canada. Waterbury has a long history going back to 1857. Like many American clock companies … More Ingersoll-Waterbury time and strike mantel clock
The other day, I was browsing through a local online for-sale site looking for antique and vintage clocks and saw a Mauthe Westminster chime mantel clock for sale. From the photo it looked great. But wait! Here is one photo from the ad. Why would I post a photo from the ad? Simple. It is my photo. The … More Copyright, what does it mean for you and me?
“A pig in a poke” is an old expression but it still has relevance in the clock world today. What does it mean? It means something that is bought or accepted without knowing its value or seeing it first. Or, another way of putting it, a deal that is foolishly accepted without being examined first. If you have been … More A Pig in a Poke
In this fourth and final entry of the series I will discuss bushing work, re-assembly and finally, testing and mounting the movement back into it’s case. Part I of this series can be found here, Part II here and Part III here, Once the pivots are inspected, cleaned and polished it is now time to install any bushings required as result … More Servicing a Sessions American No. 2 mantel clock Part IV
The movement is disassembled and now it is time for further inspection, cleaning, servicing the mainsprings, pegging the pivot holes, polishing the pivots and installing bushings where needed. In this, Part III we will cover cleaning and mainspring servicing. I have a small ultrasonic cleaner so I tend to clean parts in batches since this … More Servicing a Sessions American No. 2 mantel clock Part III
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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