Tick Talk Tuesday #25 – broken suspension spring on Vedette clock

Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face or a clock you would like me to profile and my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles for the best possible answer

WE writes:

“I have the same Vedette Westminster chime box clock as the one I saw on your site. I am in need of the spring for the pendulum. Do you know where I can buy one? Thanks”

WE is referring to this clock, a 1930s vintage box clock made by Vedette of France.

Vedette Westminster chime box clock
Vedette Westminster chime box clock

My reply.

“Hi, WE,

If you are in the US, the biggest supplier is Timesavers. Another supplier is Merritt’s. In Canada, the main supplier is Perrin, located in Toronto.

The part you are looking for is called the “suspension spring”. If you have a broken one you will have to measure the total length, the length of the blocks and length of the steel band or bands between the blocks.

Broken suspension spring
Suspension spring mounted on the post

If the suspension spring is missing altogether, I can provide you with measurements to aid in your search. Let me know.

Ron”

Vedette box clock – the plainest Vedette I have ever seen

Vedette Westminster chime box clock
Vedette Westminster chime box clock, as found

French clockmakers such as Vedette, like so many makers of 1930s Europe, made box clocks in several styles. Although I have always wanted a Vedette clock buying one so plain was not what I had in mind but there it was at a silent auction in a clock mart at the NAWCC National Convention in Springfield, Ma. in June 2019 at a take-me please price.

It could easily be mistaken for a typical German box clock of the period save for the attractive oval beveled lower window and lack of side windows. Vedette clocks are typically quite ornate – not this one! However, the sound of the chimes more than make up for its plain jane appearance.

There is nothing quite like the reverberating chime of a Vedette clock

Continue reading “Vedette box clock – the plainest Vedette I have ever seen”

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