Would you like to tell the world about your special clock? Would you like to tell the world about your special clock? Is it a clock you have had for years or was it handed down to you or you did you win it an an auction or find it in a dark corner of … More Would you like to profile your antique or vintage clock?
Regular reader and contributor JC suggested a few more clock terms I thought readers and fellow horologists might find interesting. My source for this article is the Watch and Clock Encyclopedia by Donald de Clarke, published by Bonanza Books (1984) which is still available on Amazon. Gridiron pendulum: A pendulum consisting of alternating steels and … More More fascinating terms – the language of clocks
Hobbies are a great way of finding comfort through stepping off the roller coaster of life In this increasingly complex and chaotic world where many of us seek ways of exploring constructive activities & pastimes a hobby is one such escape. Hobbies are a great way of finding comfort, stepping off the roller coaster of … More 9 reasons why clock collecting and is a great hobby and why it might be a fit for you
I did not have a banjo clock in my collection and my latest acquisition is certainly a banjo styled clock but not in the tradition of a true weight-driven American banjo clock which continues to allude me. There is no scarcity of spring driven recoil escapement (lever escapement) banjo clocks. This particular clock has a … More Ingraham Nordic Banjo Clock
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clocks, issues you might have had and challenges you face and my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern(s). For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles … More Tick-Talk Tuesday #7 – SP’s thoughts on dating a Kienzle Weltzeituhr clock
I acquired this elegant antique French mantel/shelf clock online in March of 2017 and it is the only French clock in my collection. Not many come up on Nova Scotia online for-sale sites. I felt somewhat guilty leaving the home of the man I bought it from because he told me that he was selling … More Unsigned French mantel clock – pretty but I wish I knew more about it
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clocks, issues you might have had and challenges you face and my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern(s). For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles … More Tick-Talk Tuesday #4 – question about Sessions Westminster A clock
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clocks, issues you might have had and challenges you face and my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern(s). For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles … More Tick-Talk Tuesday #2 -question about Chelsea ships clock issue
Last week I wrote that I was in the process of deciding whether or not to purchase this Swiss made Jaeger LeCoultre musical alarm clock. I saw it in an antique store in Langford, BC (Canada) and went away thinking about it. I had several questions in my mind as I walked away. The seller was asking CDN199; a fair … More Jaeger LeCoultre Musical Alarm Clock – an update!
How did we get the name grandfather clock? Most serious clock collectors and enthusiasts do not use the term grandfather clock when conversing with each other. Firstly, most clock collectors and enthusiasts do not use the term grandfather clock when interacting with each other. I tend to use the word when conversing with family and … More Grandfather clock – why not call it a tall clock, long-case or floor clock?
This is what happens when you get a clock in a box. Call it a collection of parts, pieces and dust. This is an antique German Junghans time and strike spring driven clock made in the style of a Vienna Regulator. There is no serial number on the movement, dating the clock to 1899 or … More Halifax Explosion and the Junghans Crispi clock – Part I – the plan
Last month I posted a article on Minimal Invasive Intervention in which I posed the question, how far do you go to repair, restore or conserve a clock without changing it in a significant way? I was having a discussion with my daughter who is a civil engineer and she raised the philosophical argument that questions … More Ship of Theseus and antique clock restoration
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
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
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
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
I do not mean marriage in the traditional sense. In the clock world a marriage is defined as a bringing together of parts to make a complete functioning clock. Among clock circles it is generally accepted that if a clock has significant parts from another source, such as a movement, pendulum, weights, put into a different though correct case it is … More How many marriages have you performed?
Shelf clocks such as the one pictured have always been hard to find though I did stumble upon this one very recently (April 2016) at an antique store in Great Village, Nova Scotia. Why, because of their cheap construction and inexpensive movements, not many of these clocks have survived over the years. This one might have had a … More A curious little Blackforest shelf clock
I am writing about an experience I had on a local for-sale site today and wonder if others have had the same happen to them. I found this Waterbury Halifax time-only wall clock for sale at a reasonable price. It had issues. It was not running and the top centre finial was missing. I was … More The ethics of buying used clocks – one that got away
It is time to buy the tools I need for clock repair. I already have a number of basic tools to get me started; pliers, letdown chucks, screwdrivers, etc. However, my first significant tool is an Ollie Baker Mainspring Winder which arrived from the USA today. It is pictured below. The Ollie Baker comes with … More Clock Repair Tools
Another wall clock has joined my collection, so let’s take a closer look at what I’ve acquired and whether it was worth the price I paid. The clock was advertised locally in the Truro, Nova Scotia area. The seller knew little about it beyond its provenance, but what he did share was an interesting, albeit … More Mauthe Horse Crown Century-old Wall Clock
In November 2015, I added an Arthur Pequegnat Maple Leaf “fan top” to my collection. The clock was advertised as non-running, and the seller’s description was accurate—it had its share of challenges. While gingerbread-style kitchen clocks don’t typically appeal to me, I felt that, as a Canadian, if I were to own one, it should … More Arthur Pequegnat Maple Leaf Kitchen Clock
Servicing this Smiths Enfield clock went without a hitch, well almost. All parts underwent Ultrasonic cleaning, the pivot holes were pegged and oiled and once re-assembled the clock was oiled, then bench-tested out of it’s case to check for beat and proper strike. On Sept 30th – back in the case without destroying 2 U-shaped … More Update on Smiths Enfield clock
I acquired my Sessions Raven clock about a year ago. It had been serviced by someone knowledgeable about clocks and arrived in excellent condition. The movement had clearly been disassembled, oiled, tested, and the case carefully reconditioned. Interestingly, it also came with a set of instructions from the person who had worked on it. I … More Sessions Raven clock
Dugena was a German retail clock company. The name Dugena still exists today, but whether or not it is related to the Dugena company of the 1950s is anyone’s guess. This particular clock has a Hermle floating balance movement, which is both reliable and dependable. Dugena, like many other clock companies at the time, contracted … More Dugena Mantel Clock Dis-assembly, Cleaning and Adjustment
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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