Echoes of an Unknown Maker: A Banjo Clock’s Journey Through Time

The American Banjo clock — often just called a banjo clock — got its name from the shape of its case, which resembles a banjo musical instrument. Although the design was patented in 1802 by Simon Willard, a renowned clockmaker from Roxbury, Massachusetts, Willard referred to his invention as the “Improved Timepiece,” not a banjo clock.

There are essentially three types of mechanical banjo clocks. Those with lever escapements are usually in the lower price range, spring-driven examples occupy the middle ground, and weight-driven banjo clocks represent the higher end, typically costing several hundred dollars in fair condition to several thousand for authenticated examples from reputable makers.

My wife spotted the clock on Facebook Marketplace one evening. It was listed for $100, and the photo immediately caught my attention. I had a feeling it might be a diamond in the rough. I suggested she offer the seller $75, and to our surprise, the offer was accepted almost immediately. It seemed they just wanted it gone.

_{Seller’s photo, looking a little tired}

The clock was one of several items the seller had for sale as part of a community-wide garage sale. So, a day later, we made the drive out to the rural part of Nova Scotia where the sale was taking place. When we arrived, we found the house and asked to see the clock. It was sitting there among other odds and ends, looking a little tired but full of promise.

As we examined it, I asked a few questions about its history. The seller explained that it had belonged to an uncle in Wolfville, Nova Scotia—a man who had once owned a large collection of antique clocks and had been in the family for over 60 years. That was all I needed to hear.

Before we left, the seller asked if I might be interested in another clock—a 30-hour mantel clock. “It’s worth a lot more than that one,” they insisted, nodding toward the banjo clock. I smiled and politely declined. Something told me the first clock was the one worth keeping.

And I was right. Once we brought it home, cleaned it up, and did a little research, we discovered that it was indeed something special—a genuine, 1830s timepiece, a true diamond in the rough.

The clock was surprisingly heavy when I first lifted it, which told me right away that the weight was still inside the case. That was a good sign. Had it been missing, finding a proper replacement would have been a challenge—and there’s really nothing quite like having the original weight that once powered the movement so many decades ago.

It turned out to be a Federal-style banjo clock, housed in a rich mahogany case that bore the quiet dignity of age. The movement was intact, a promising start. At the top sat a graceful acorn finial, original to the clock—a small but telling detail. At first glance, I thought the carved reverse-scrolled side arms and lower base section were missing, but later learned that not all examples from this period included those features; In fact, simplicity was a defining feature of early timepieces.

The original steel hands, shaped in that classic banjo style, were still in place, and the dial face, though worn, retained much of its character. The glass bezel was broken but easily replaced. The case itself was dusty and a bit tired, with a few areas needing veneer work, a split wood bezel, but nothing beyond repair. As I examined it more closely, I discovered the winding crank tucked neatly into the bottom of the case—perhaps placed there by its last owner many years ago.

After some careful study and comparison with other examples online, and with help from a few knowledgeable members of a clock forum, I came to believe that the clock was made in the late 1830s in Boston—possibly by John Sawin. Sawin had apprenticed under Simon Willard and later worked as a journeyman for Aaron Willard, two of the most respected clockmakers of their day and inventors of the original patent timepiece. Unfortunately, there are no identifying marks on the case or movement, leaving its true maker a mystery—but a fascinating one all the same.

_{Fully restored clock on display in my home}

With that in mind, I decided to give the old clock the attention it deserved. What followed was a careful cleaning, a bit of veneer work, minor repairs, glass bezel replacement, and the satisfaction of seeing history come back to life.

November 24, 2025 9

Tick Talk Tuesday #43 – Is this a Simon Willard banjo clock?

Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from readers concerning clock issues, challenges faced, a clock you would profiled or 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

TM writes, “We have had a banjo clock in our family for multiple generations, and knowing my family’s history it would not surprise me if it was a Simon Willard original. I understand that is a long shot but it is so hard to find information about banjo clocks or reputable people to deal with. It is in relatively good condition, not knowing when my family acquired it exactly, but it is original to us. I am attaching a picture and would greatly appreciate your opinion.”

_{The family banjo clock}

I am not an expert on Willard banjo clocks but have seen and read enough to inform me that Simon Willard clocks have distinctive features that separate his clocks from others.

My reply was, “Hi, and thanks for your email.

It may or may not be a Willard patent banjo. It would have to go through a process of authentication. An expert would identify the classic hallmarks of a Willard clock which would include movement design and construction, distinctive case features, door catch characteristics, construction of the dial, how the movement is mounted, design of the throat and lower tablets, and so on.

However, two things immediately strike me as odd. First, I have never seen a Willard patented timepiece (banjo clock) with an Arabic dial. Secondly, Willard banjo clocks have simple barbed spear hands, none as ornate as the ones on your banjo clock. Your clock could be a variant or the dial and hands could be replacements or the clock could have been crafted by another maker altogether.

Again, an expert in Willard clocks would provide the answer you are looking for.”

_{Simon Willard Patented Timepiece, C.1810; photo taken at the Simon Willard Clock museum in 2019}

Simon Willard did little to protect his patent and as a result, many copies were made during the Federal period in Boston and in New England. Associates of Willard and apprentices to Simon and his brother Aaron produced clocks by the hundreds. Some of the copies were of high quality though they did not have the desired cache of a Simon Willard clock. And of course, many are fakes.

_{Willard clock; photo was taken at the American Watch and Clock Museum 2019}

According to Robert C. Cheney, executive director and curator of the Willard House and Clock Museum proclaimed that the timepiece is “probably the most faked American clock found today.” Is TM’s clock an original, another maker, or a fake? An expert would immediately determine if it is real.

The photo at the beginning of the article is the only one sent to me and one photo is really not enough to make any kind of definitive judgment but I don’t believe TM has a Simon Willard Patented Timepiece.

December 6, 2022

Repairing a loose hour hand on a weight-driven banjo

The hour hand is loose on my unmarked circa 1840s banjo clock. It is an unusual problem and I can’t say I have ever come across an issue like this in my years of clock repair. It is supposed to friction fit on the hour pipe but the hand is definitely quite loose.

I have attributed this fine precision-made weight-driven banjo timepiece to John Sawin or one of his apprentices or associates. John Sawin, who apprenticed under Simon Willard, made clocks in the Boston area in the early 1800s and it appears that this clock was made in or around 1840.

It is not the usual ornate clock with reverse-painted tablets, gilt features, and an American eagle finial that one would envision as a classic banjo clock. This mahogany-cased clock is simple with timeless lines.

Back to the hour hand. I posted the issue on an online clock forum site and the consensus seems to be that I must stake the hour hand in several places on the inside so that it would fit tightly on the hour pipe.

On most American clocks the hour hand has a collet and the hour hand/collect friction fits onto the hour pipe. No so on early banjo clocks.

The staking went well, the hour hand fits snuggly and I am pleased.

October 17, 2022

Sawin banjo clock movement servicing – two issues arose later

Weight-driven banjo clocks have simple time-only movements that are very reliable. They can be unadorned like the one I acquired or garish almost to excess like a presentation timepiece. Authenticity can be a challenge since some presentation timepieces started life as simple wooden cases and decorative tablets, finials, sidearms and other items were added later but I love the simplicity of this one.

^{Presentation banjo clock by Foster Campos}

Finding one for $75 is highly unusual but I am convinced the seller had no idea what it was worth. When I picked it up the seller asked me if I was interested in another clock he had for sale, a 30-hour mantel clock. He told me someone valued it at $300. Uh, no, not interested!

This federal-style banjo clock was made in the 1840s. I am reasonably certain it was made by John Sawin of Boston in 1840 or thereabout, by either himself or one of his apprentices or associates. The movement and case construction bares a strong resemblance to a Willard timepiece and there is a good reason for this.

John Sawin apprenticed under Simon Willard and was a journeyman under Aaron Willard, famous clockmakers of the day and makers of the original patent timepiece.

Unfortunately, there are no identifying markings on the movement or the case but there are key indicators, for example, the placement of the movement mounting “ears”, that tell me that this is a Sawin clock.

Everything is original to the clock, weight, hands, movement, pendulum rod and bob. The dial glass was was broken at some point in the clock’s life. It had convex glass and a good many I have seen with wood bezels had flat glass. Brass bezel clocks, on the other hand, generally had convex glass, so, I have decided to replace it with flat glass.

The movement

The gear train is relatively simple and consists of 4 wheels; the main wheel, second wheel, third wheel, and escape wheel. The motion works are on the front plate.

Assessment of the movement

As expected there is wear but consistent with the age of the clock. The movement looks good overall, the gear teeth and pinions are in very good condition but, there are punch marks around the pivot holes. It is never a good feeling to see punch marks around the pivot holes. Punching effectively closes the pivot holes but in a very crude way. This was an old practice and is not considered acceptable today.

Pivots are required for the main wheel front plate, second wheel back-plate, third wheel, and the escape wheel front plate. The verge may require front and back bushings but I will see how things look when the other bushing work is complete. Three are 2mm wide Bergeon bushings, the fourth is 2.5 and the main wheel bushing is larger. I don’t often work with bushings as small as 2mm and it simply means extra care must be taken to cut and ream as accurately as possible.

There was a good amount of movement in the main wheel arbour and installing a bushing was necessary to tighten things up. I have bushings that are 1.5 mm and 3mm thick but the plate is 2mm. A 3mm bushing was installed and using a file I reduced the height to 2 mm. Three other bushings were then installed with no issues.

I have decided to leave the verge bushings as-is for now.

The weight cable had no kinks or broken strands, I cleaned it in the ultrasonic and reused it. For brass cable, I generally knot each end and use solder to secure the knot to prevent it from slipping out of its knot.

Two weeks later and two issues

The weight cable is too short. The clock stops when the weight is several inches from the bottom of the case and it will only run six days instead of the usual eight. Why was the cable shortened? Who knows?

A second issue. The keystone is the piece between the suspension spring and the pendulum leader. It comes very close to hitting the large wheel of the motion works on the left side. Since the suspension spring is quite bent the right side of the keystone rubs against the back of the dial face stopping the clock. A bent spring is a consequence of leaving the pendulum assembly on the movement during transport.

Unfortunately, I cannot source a suspension spring alone and must purchase either the keystone and suspension spring together from an American supplier or the entire spring, leader and stake for about $55.00 from a Canadian supplier. In the meantime the movement runs until I put the dial on.

I am in no hurry for this one and will continue testing it until I come up with a solution for the bent suspension spring.

December 1, 2021

Restoration work on a 181 year old weight driven banjo clock

There are basically three types of banjo clocks with mechanical movements. Those with lever escapements which are usually in the $75 to $100 range, spring-driven ones that are generally $100 to around $300 and up but weight-driven banjo clocks occupy the upper end of the range and are normally between $300-$500 in fair condition and upwards of thousands for desirable clocks made by Simon Willard or E. Howard.

When my wife discovered this particular clock on Facebook Marketplace for $100 I suggested she make an offer for $75 and the seller immediately accepted. It is always a risk buying or accepting an offer without first examining it but this, I believe, was an excellent prospect and for the price I was willing to take a chance.

It is weight-driven federal style cased banjo clock from the 1840s. I have since learned that the clock was very likely made by John Sawin in 1840 (Boston) by himself or one of his apprentices or associates.

Unfortunately, there are no identifying markings on the movement or the case but there are strong indicators that this is a Sawin clock. John Sawin apprenticed under Simon Willard and was a journeyman under Aaron Willard, famous clockmakers of the day and makers of the original patent timepiece.

Everything is intact except for the dial class which was broken at some point in the clock’s life.

The broken glass is convex which prompts an interesting question. Is the glass a replacement and if so, did these clocks originally come with flat glass?

There is a school of thought among most horologists that simple mahogany cased clocks with wood bezels and an absence of ornamentation that were made in this particular style back in the 1840s had flat glass installed. Presentation timepieces, on the other hand, such as those with gilt accents, sidearms, brass dial bezels, a lower bracket/finial and reverse painted glass tablets had curved glass.

Patent Timepiece 1825 by William Cummens with convex glass

My belief is that this clock originally had flat glass.

So, let’s move on with the various case issues beginning with the missing pieces of veneer.

Veneer

The only section that requires veneer work is the left and right bottom corners on the pendulum. Many repairers attempt to hide the missing veneer with touch-up stain but new veneer is the only way to go.

Although the case is made of mahogany I selected rosewood from my collection of harvested veneer. It has the same thickness (modern veneer is much thinner). Although mahogany has a slightly different tonal characteristic and grain, the match was very close. Since I used hot hide glue, the veneer can be easily lifted with heat at a later date but for now my goal is to disguise the missing veneer.

While I was working on the veneer sections I cleaned the case and applied a light coat of shellac. I am not opposed to applying a finishing coat to preserve and improve a clock’s appearance. The added benefit is that it enhances the grains on the case.

In my view there is no clear right or wrong answer and it should be left up to the restorer (and owner) to decide how the clock’s finish should be addressed.

The throat is in perfect condition.

The dial bezel has a crack at the 11 o’clock position which was addressed with hot hide glue. I forced glue into the crack, closed the gap with a number of elastic bands tied together and left it for 24 hours to dry.

The glass

Removing the old putty was a little more involved than I had planned. A heat gun would have been too much and I did not want to ruin the wood bezel but a 30W soldering iron was perfect for this job. I picked away and removed just enough putty to install the glass. I ordered 6 13/16 inch flat glass and it was a perfect fit. Wet putty is always an option but Plaster of Paris is easier to work with, does an equally fine job and secures the glass in place.

Plaster of Paris dries hard in 30 minutes and is stainable/paintable. I applied the plaster with a putty knife and smoothed it out with a wet finger.

Plaster of Paris is easy to work with and dries hard in 30 minutes

After several hours I applied a dark stain to give the plaster an aged look.

The plaster is stained to give it an aged look

The bezel is now ready to be attached to the case.

The finial

The final was in the pendulum box when I bought the clock. It now requires a new post. The peg was broken and a previous owner attempted to secure the finial with glue and, of course, that failed. The finial would originally have been mounted with a piece of dowel.

Using a piece of 3/8 inch doweling I cut off about 1 1/4 inches. I scraped off as much glue as I could from the bottom of the finial and the plinth and drilled out the old doweling on both the finial and the plinth. Once the dowelling was glued in place it was given a mahogany stain. It fits well and looks great.

Other case repairs

Other case repairs involved closing or filling several holes. For these repairs I used yellow carpenter’s glue for maximum adhesion.

Shavings from old veneer are glued into screw holes for the mounting ears and the case hook to ensure that those screws are secure.

The case repairs are complete and the last step is servicing the movement.

November 6, 2021

Yard sale find – a 181-year-old weight driven banjo clock for less than you think

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 between $300-$500 in fair condition to upwards of thousands for Simon Willard or E. Howard clocks.

My wife discovered this particular clock on Facebook Marketplace for $100. I suggested she offer the seller $75 and the seller immediately accepted. I think they just wanted to get rid of it. However, it is always a risk buying a clock sight unseen but this looked like an excellent prospect and for $75, why not take a chance!

From the photos provided it is a weight-driven federal style mahogany-cased banjo clock from the 1800s. The movement is intact because the seller sent a video showing the pendulum bob moving from side to side.

Looks like the original dial and original hands

It has a top acorn finial which appears to be original to the clock. I thought it was missing the carved reverse scrolled side arms and the bottom base piece but not all of these clocks had bottoms or side arms.

The original banjo styled steel hands and the painted face appear to be in good condition. The broken glass bezel can be easily replaced. The case is dirty and requires a small amount of veneer work. I also see the winding crank in the bottom of the case.

I picked it up in late June 2021.

The day of the pickup

We arrived at the garage sale and met the sellers. My wife was curious as to the provenance of the clock and we were told that it had been in the family for more than 60 years having spent most of its life in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

The clock was heavy which meant the weight was inside the case. Had the weight been missing, sourcing one would have been a problem but it is best to have the original weight.

We had few errands to run in the city and did not return home till late in the evening. Minutes after coming through the door I had the clock on the kitchen table and a screwdriver in hand taking it apart.

A Boston made banjo clock

After studying it further and comparing the clock to others online and through my inquires with members of a clock forum site I learned that the clock was very likely made in 1840 in Boston by John Sawin who apprenticed under Simon Willard and was a journeyman under Aaron Willard, famous clockmakers of the day and inventors of the original patent timepiece.

Later, I will profile the clock with detailed images of the movement, dial face and aspects of the case and more information on clockmaker John Sawin.

Is this the find of the year? I certainly believe so!

October 17, 2021

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