A clock can be a thoughtful and lasting gift, particularly for a young couple who have just moved into their first home together. Unlike many household gifts, a mechanical clock offers more than a decorative touch. It brings character, history, and the quiet pleasure of watching a finely made mechanism measure the passing hours. Recently, … More How to Prepare an Antique Clock for Gifting
If you’re a serious clock collector or clock repair enthusiast, you probably know the feeling. You go away on vacation for a few weeks—or perhaps several months—and after a while, you start missing your clocks. Not just looking at them. You miss working on them. You miss sitting at the bench with a movement in … More When You Miss Your Hobby: Keeping the Clock Hobby Alive While You’re Away
Pequegnat made seven hall clocks, the Alberta, the Canada, Leader, Nelson, Vancouver and the Vernon. All models appear in the 1913 catalogue but by 1928 only the Alberta, Canada and Verno remained. … More The Pequegnat Hall Clock I’ve Always Wanted
With Berlin, Ontario, renamed Kitchener in 1916 and the model subsequently renamed Berlyn, this clock provides a fascinating glimpse into both Pequegnat’s history and the wartime period in which it was produced. … More The Rare Green Arthur Pequegnat Berlin Clock: A Canadian Antique Treasure
One of the more intriguing clocks in my collection is a Scottish longcase clock signed by William McLachlan of Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, Scotland. For years, I have estimated the clock’s date as circa 1848. Recent research into McLachlan himself, combined with a closer examination of the clock, suggests that the estimate may be remarkably accurate. … More A Scottish Longcase Clock from Newton Stewart: Piecing Together the Story of Clockmaker William McLachlan
One of the oldest clocks in my collection is a Scottish tall case (long case) clock made in the late 1840s. I acquired it in 2020, and I was quite excited—it was my first antique tall case clock. It features what is known as an English bell strike, with a rack and snail striking the … More Rack, Snail, and Risk: Inside a Longcase Clock Repair | Part I
This regularly featured blog is about the letters, questions, and stories I receive from fellow clock enthusiasts. Tick-Talk Time is a special feature where I respond to readers’ letters and comments about their clock, clock-rlated issues and advice about specific clocks. When a question is particularily complex I consult with my clock community to ensure … More Tick Talk Time | A Canada Clock Co. Clock Bought at Auction
Recently, a reader contacted me because his mantel clock showed 7 o’clock but insisted on striking eight times. He assumed something had broken inside the movement. In reality, the fix took less than a minute. One of the most common questions asked by owners of mechanical clocks is: “Why does my clock strike the wrong … More My Mechanical Clock Strikes the Wrong Hour: Learn How to Fix It
For newcomers to the hobby, the expression may sound complicated, but the concept is actually quite simple. … More What Is a Strike Train? A Beginner’s Guide to Mechanical Clock Striking Mechanisms
Just a quick note to let everyone know that there won’t be a regular blog post today. Instead, I’ve prepared a special article that will be published on Wednesday, July 1, in recognition of Canada Day. I hope you’ll stop by and join me in celebrating this special occasion. Although Canada Day is uniquely Canadian, … More No Monday Post This Week – See You on Canada Day
Over the years, as my clock collection has evolved and my interest in Canadian horology has deepened, I’ve found myself crossing paths with a wide range of clocks from around the world. One group that continues to spark curiosity—and conversation—is the Chinese-made mechanical wall clocks that became so common in North America during the 1960s … More The History and Significance of 1970s Chinese Wall Clocks
In the fall of 2018, I came across an interesting clock on Facebook Marketplace. The photos were far from ideal and showed a very distressed piece that had clearly spent years in a hot, humid environment—my guess was an attic. The seller was asking quite a lot for it, but I replied that the clock … More Did This Mauthe Wall Clock Originally Have a Crown? Solving the Model 247 Mystery
One of the most common mistakes in clock maintenance is oiling a movement while it is still in the case. It seems convenient, and many people believe they are helping the clock, but in reality, you cannot properly inspect or oil a movement until it has been removed from the case and examined, where you … More Never Re-Oil a Mechanical Clock Without Removing the Movement First
Looking around my home today, I can count twelve Arthur Pequegnat clocks, but the Brandon II will always be the most important one. It was the first Pequegnat clock I ever bought, and the one that started me down the Pequegnat road. This particular clock is a Brandon II. The first edition was produced up … More The Arthur Pequegnat Brandon II Schoolhouse Clock – The Clock That Started My Collection
Some clocks have a way of drawing you in immediately, and this Vienna-style wall clock made by Friedrich Mauthe was one of those pieces. The moment I saw it, I knew it had presence—it becomes part of the room. With its rich walnut case, turned columns, and the distinctive horse finial crowning the top pediment, … More Restoring the Balance of a Mauthe Horse Crown Vienna Style Wall Clock
U. M. Müller clocks were once a familiar name in households across Europe, yet today the brand is not as widely recognized among collectors as some of the larger German makers. That is a bit surprising, because the company produced clocks that could easily stand beside the finest German manufacturers of the early twentieth century. … More The Rise of the German Box Clock: A U. M. Müller Example
This two-weightGustav Becker regulator wall clock, purchased in 2016 as a “project clock,” proved early on to be more challenging than I thought. This is the third and final post in this series. For the story behind this clock and an analysis of the steps taken so far, the first and the second posts can … More Re-Bushing, Reassembly & Testing of a Gustav Becker Regulator
Among Canadian clocks, some names are immediately recognizable — Pequegnat, Canada Clock Company, Hamilton Clock Company, Wesclox from Peterbourough or Seth Thomas and New Haven imports sold through Canadian retailers. Others, however, tell a quieter story. Walter Clocks of Toronto belongs firmly in that second group, yet its history represents one of the last meaningful … More Walter Clocks of Toronto: A Nearly Forgotten Chapter in Canadian Clockmaking
I wrote recently about a two-weight Gustav Becker regulator wall clock that my wife bought for me in 2016. It was sold as a “project clock.” While the case presented its own challenges, the real difficulties lay in the movement. At the time, I was unfamiliar with Gustav Becker movements and only gradually realized that … More A Return to the Bench: Wear-Related Strike Problems in a Gustav Becker P27
In 2016, my wife gifted me a two-weight Gustav Becker regulator wall clock. It was a much-appreciated gift, and I spent many hours restoring it, as it had been sold as a “project clock.” The case certainly had its issues, but the most challenging problems lay in the movement itself. At the time, I was … More Ten Years Later: An Odd Strike Issue in a Gustav Becker P27 Movement
This is a cautionary tale for anyone who owns a long-case or tall-case clock, especially a weight-driven example. I make that distinction because I do own a tall-case clock that is spring-driven, which I can assure you is quite unusual. Most, however, are weight-driven. The other day, I went to investigate an issue with the … More Gravity Never Sleeps: A Tall-Case Clock Warning
If you’re a collector of any kind, you’ll relate to what I have to say in this blog article. In the early years of collecting anything, many of us follow a very familiar path. We begin with breadth rather than depth, acquiring whatever speaks to us, and for me, it was mantel clocks, shelf clocks, … More A Clock Collection in Motion | The Dynamic Nature of Clock Collecting
This clock wasn’t one I set out to find. My wife and I were wandering through a sprawling antique shop in Almonte, Ontario—the kind of place where time itself seems to stand still. She drifted upstairs while I lingered below, each of us lost in our own quiet hunt. A few minutes later, she appeared … More The Clock That Wasn’t Complete: My Waterbury Suffolk Discovery
Not long ago, my wife and I were attending a medical appointment in Springhill, Nova Scotia. While we were in the area, we decided that a side trip to Parrsboro fit the bill, as the town was less than a half-hour drive away. It was a leisurely, sunny fall day as we drove through the … More The Lank House Clock: Tracing a Mauthe Wall Clock Through Parrsboro’s Past
Some time ago, I came across an ad on Facebook Marketplace for a clock owned by an older couple who lived about forty-five minutes from our home on the East Coast. When I first saw the photo, something about the clock caught my eye—it had character, a quiet dignity, and I had a feeling it … More The Day I Found an Ingraham Huron Balloon Clock—and the Story That Came With It
You must be logged in to post a comment.