John Sawin was a prolific 1840s Boston clockmaker and many of his clocks have survived to this day. The Key features of the Sawin timepiece share many of the attributes of the original Simon Willard Patented Timepiece. They are: No striking parts reducing the number of wheels to a minimum for simplicity, Making the distance … More John Sawin banjo clock CA 1840
I found the clock on an online for sale site in the spring of 2021 and contacted the seller the same day. When I saw the sellers photos my first thought was that it was pretty reasonably priced for a hall clock, known by many as a grandfather clock. I decided to take a chance, … More New Haven hall clock – Restoring the case
Yes, a weight-driven banjo clock for a surprisingly low price! There are essentially three types of mechanical banjo clocks. Those with lever escapements are usually in the $75 to $100 range, spring driven ones are $100 to around $200 and up but weight-driven banjo clocks occupy the higher end of the range and normally cost … More Yard sale find – a 181-year-old weight driven banjo clock for less than you think
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 or my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump … More Tick Talk Tuesday #36 – a tall case clock is transformed
Ah, the kitchen clock! Most clock enthusiasts have at least one kitchen clock in their collection and some collect them exclusively. I am not a huge fan of them but they very popular and considered important clocks because of their relatively low cost and availability. Thousands of inexpensive oak-cased clocks were made by various American … More The Pressed Wood Kitchen Clock
This movement came out of an unknown tall case clock that I am certain did not come out of New Haven’s factory. The case appears to have been made by an unknown case builder and I believe the movement, coil gong, dial face, and pendulum were all sourced from the New Haven Clock Company as … More New Haven movement servicing
The pandemic was certainly devastating and no doubt changed everyone and everything. Nothing will ever be quite the same. As Dickens would say, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. There are no hidden positives in a pandemic but if anything, this past year has given many of us … More Maintaining a hobby after the pandemic
It might sound a little strange to use a paint roller on a clock dial. This is not just any paint roller but one specifically designed for the purpose. The candidate is a embossed dial pan for a Waterbury Wren shelf clock C.1895. Most of the paint has been rubbed off the dial over the … More Using a paint roller to revive a clock dial
If you are a collector or simply have a general interest in mechanical clocks and wish to sell antique and/or vintage clocks then, read on. I am not a seller but I purchase clocks to build my collection. I occasionally sell clocks locally as a way to manage my collection. Most of the clocks I’ve … More Tips on selling (or buying) an antique or vintage clock
How far do you go repairing, restoring or conserving a vintage or antique clock without changing it in a significant way? My daughter. a civil engineer raised the philosophical argument that questions whether an object like a clock that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. This paradoxical thought exercise … More Preserve, Conserve or Restore, a clockmakers dilemma
7 reasons why a hobby such as clockmaking gives respite during a pandemic. Builds self-esteem. Developing and maintaining a hobby is important because the small successes from day to day are enough to sustain oneself amid other pressures in life and it is the one solid thing to feel good about. It gives renewed energy … More 7 reasons why a hobby such as clockmaking gives respite during a pandemic
Servicing the movement is complete. Next is the case. For those unfamiliar with the HAC acronym, it stands for Hamburg American Clock Company, a well-known German company that was acquired by Junghans in the late 1920s. I have a number of German clocks including Junghans, Mauthe, Hermle, Jauch, Gufa, and Gustav Becker but this is … More HAC mantel clock – refreshing the case
The movement has been serviced and the next step to bringing this clock back to life is cleaning a very grimy, tarnished and worn dial. For those unfamiliar with HAC or, The Hamburg American Clock Company (Hamburg Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik), it is a well-known German company that was incorporated in 1876 as Landenburger and Lang, later … More HAC/HAU shelf clock is attractive but the dial needs work
Eight years ago I acquired my first Arthur Pequegnat clock. In the years following, I have added to my collection and now have a total of 8. Although my collection of Pequegnat clocks is very modest by comparison to a dedicated Pequegant collector it is a good start and I would certainly like to add … More Arthur Pequegnat clocks in my collection
Clock collecting from a beginner’s perspective. That was the subject of my first blog post six years ago. Since then I have seen a lot of excellent and not-so-good blogs come and go but I wanted to give it my best shot and after 6 years, well, I am still here. I started with a … More First blog post – 6 years ago
This E. Ingraham & Co. clock is a garden variety parlour clock. There is nothing special about it but among parlour clocks, it has nice lines and reflects a more conservative approach to clock designs of the late 19th century. It is an 8-day time and strike clock purchased from a local antique store in … More E Ingraham Mystic parlour clock servicing
The arrangement of the gears should be familiar to anyone working on German clocks made in the first quarter of the twentieth century Bought on an online estate auction site earlier this year, servicing the movement is the subject of this post. Once the movement is serviced, the next step is to address dirt and … More HAC/HAU movement servicing
This attractive shelf clock was bought on an online auction in early January 2021. From the auction photos, I expected a clock that required attention and now, having received it, I am pleasantly surprised that it is in better condition than I thought. Under the auction studio light (first photo), the case might appear to … More E. Ingraham Grecian – restoration of the case and dial
Although I have sold a few clocks locally in the past year to trim down my collection, I am always on the lookout for new acquisitions. One in, one out, has become the rule. I am a frequent follower of online for-sale and estate auction sites and look for unique clocks like this E. Ingraham … More Auction clock bought on a whim
Ringing in the New Year is for reminiscing, reliving, looking back, and looking forward. However, I’ll be brutally honest; let’s hope that 2021 is a better year. Indeed, 2020 will be a year that will live in infamy. It was tough but most of us got through it. However, the Antiquevintageclock.com family wish to convey … More Happy New Year clock lovers everywhere
A small change makes a big difference on a Junghans mantel clock from 1911. Let me explain. Back in September 2020, I bought a German-made Junghans bracket style clock. It is 14 inches high by 10 inches wide by 6 inches deep, mahogany veneered, attractive brass accents, and a carrying handle on a curved domed … More Junghans bracket clock – a small detail makes a big difference
Lately, I have been working on a stately bracket clock by Junghans from the latter part of 1911. I love the look of this clock though some would say it is quite plain. The Regency style veneered mahogany case of this time and strike bracket clock is in reasonably good condition save for a small … More Junghans bracket clock – cleaning a silvered dial and brass accents
I posted the first look at this clock a while back. The Regency style veneered mahogany case of this Junghans time and strike bracket clock is in reasonably good shape save for a small piece of veneer missing on the front right corner and replacement chrome feet which look decidedly out of place. The movement … More Junghans bracket clock – servicing the movement
I found this German mantel clock on a local online buy and sell site. The seller had two clocks, one, a generic German-made Westminster chime and this, a Junghans bracket-style clock. I knew right away that this was the better deal. It appeared to be a higher quality clock compared to the other one. I … More Junghans bracket clock – first look
Five years ago I attended a workshop on WordPress at our local community college. It taught me more about blogging than I ever knew. The idea of a clock blog intrigued me but it is a lot of work, there is much learning and it was not something I wanted to design from the ground … More Approaching 200,000 views and 58,000+views so far this year
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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