Two New Sites for Clock Lovers

There are two new sites in the InterWorld for clock lovers and especially long case clock lovers.

Howard Miller Clocksmith is a site devoted to the Howard Miller line of clocks. It gives a very interesting story of the Howard Miller Clocks company from it's beginnings as a division of the Herman Miller Furniture Company till it split off. There is information about Howard Miller Clocks and how to care for them.

Seth Thomas Clocks is another site about a specific kind of clock, or I guess more correctly a specific clock manufacturer. It is going to regale all things Seth Thomas, going to because its not done yet. But hey, this site wasn't done at one time!

Both sites are new so be sure to check back in regularly for updates!

- Thom

SOLD: Antique Waterbury Shelf / Mantle Clock, c.1920's

On the market is a Waterbury Shelf / Mantle Clock from the 1920's, in great condition, fresh off the clockmaker's bench having been repaired and adjusted.

This wonderful antique clock features...

• beautifully carved body in good overall condition, including character scratches typical for its age
• original dial face with two key holes (time and chime)
• half hour strike and hourly chime according to time
• glass door in good condition with original gold etching
• movement are newly reconditioned and runs flawlessly
• engravings on the movement indicating it is original Waterbury
• unique pendulum and key included
• measures 15" x 22" x 5"
• UPS Packing will cost extra but UPS will pack and cover 100% of the item cost if anything happens during shipping

As with all clocks, after being moved this fine timepiece should be allowed to settle for at least 48 hours before attempting any adjustments.

The accompanying photos were taken as this beautiful clock was coming off the bench. Now we're looking for a good home for it.

Short Howard Miller Grandfather Clock Video

You might find this post over on Howard Miller Clocks interesting. It's a short video about grandfather clocks, especially the Howard Miller line. While not all Howard Millers are antiques, the company has been in business since 1926 which make many of its clocks antiques. Anyway, check out the video and learn a little bit from this Short Howard Miller Grandfather Clock Video.

Antique Clocks as Family Heirlooms

Of the many categories of chattel that makes it to the lofty heights of family heirlooms, antique clocks are typically found very high on the list. As these formerly priceless timepieces have marked the passing of time however, their perceived value has diminished as well.

In an age where we can run out to Wal-Mart and pickup an atomic clock that will automatically set itself, including adjustments for daylight savings time, we find fewer and fewer people interested in having a clock they have to wind every week. And as my daughter has said, "do we have to listen to the tick tock all night long?"

There is something uniquely gratifying however about having my antique clock sitting on top of the piano in our living room, tick tocking away the hours and striking the half-hour and hour in perfect rhythm with my atomic radio controlled clock. All the while knowing that my antique mantle clock is 126 years old and has been in my family for generations. I can wind the same clock that many of my ancestors have wound...and that IS valuable...at least to me.

What Is A Grandfather Clock?

Grandfather clocks are also know as long-case clocks, tall-case clocks, or floor clocks and must be free standing. They are typically weight-driven, pendulum clocks where the pendulum and weights are inside the waist, or tower, of the clock.

This style of clock is typically around 6 feet tall and often features elaborate ornamentation on the bonnet surrounding the frame dial or clock face. This style of clock is most often attributed to William Clement, an English clockmaker, and entered the world stage around 1670. (also see History of Antique Clocks for more information on this style). This style is usually a striking clock meaning they sound the time every hour and sometimes fractions of an hour.

The terms "grandfather", "grandmother", and "granddaughter" have been applied to longcase clocks. Although there is no specifically defined difference among these terms, the general perception seems to be that a clock smaller than 1.5m (5 feet) is a granddaughter; over 1.5m (5 feet) is a grandmother; and over 1.8m (6 feet) is a grandfather.

There are many popular models of grandfather clocks. Any family would be proud to have an Edward Meyer Grandfather Clock, or perhaps an offering from Howard Miller Clocks or Seth Thomas Clocks. Whichever manufacturer and model you choose, we know you and you family will love your grandfather clock for many generations to come.

History of Antique Clocks

In the Beginning...

From our earliest beginnings, mankind has always tried to measure and record the passing of time. That annoying alarm clock beside your bed owes its existence to over 6,000 years of thinking about and tinkering with gadgets to accurately enumerate its passage.Early farmers divided time into broad quarters or seasons to mark periods for planting, growing and harvesting. Back in the day, on the farm, the exact hours was not really important.

It wasn't until civilizations matured and became more complex, desiring more order and governance, that a need for a more precise measure of time materialized. Egyptians divided the day into two parts, using the shadow cast from an obelisk to mark its division. Similar gadgets for keeping time included the hourglass, indexed candles burning at a specific rate, and water powered devices.

Enter Mechanical Clocks

As with many traditions of modern day, time measurement was driven by religion. The regulation of monastic calls to prayer became the genesis of mechanical tower clocks. Its prominence in the village and city soon came to synchronize everything within their sphere of influence.

The very first mechanical clocks, without pendulums, came to fruition in the last half of the 13th century, again most likely driven by the religious needs of monks in central Europe. This is highlighted by their placement in churches. Most only struck bells on the hour and didn't have hands or faces. Visible faces and dials didn't enter the stage till perhaps 100 years later. These clocks were very large and very heavy, made of iron frames and gears forged and tooled by blacksmiths.

Around 1580 Galileo watched a swinging lamp hanging from a long chain in a cathedral. After studying its swing he discovered that each swing was equal and maintained a natural rate and motion. Later he discovered the rate depended on the length of the rope or chain and the weight or pendulum. About 80 years later in 1640 Galileo designed the mechanism for a clock using the swing of a pendulum but wasn't able to construct it before his death. Sixteen years later in 1656 Christian Huygens incorporated a pendulum into a clock mechanism he designed and observed that it kept extraordinary time. He found he could regulate the speed of the movement by lowering or raising the pendulum.

Huygens discovery made it possible for clocks to become accurate to within three minutes a day. A great improvement over the half hour a day accuracy previously experienced. This increase in accuracy made the introduction of the minute hand possible. The anchor escapement improved the accuracy even more to within a few seconds per week.

Somewhere in the first half of the fifteenth century small domestic clocks entered the stage. Probably made by the local gunsmith or locksmith. Weight driven lantern clocks became popular for use in the affluent home after 1630.

Early household clocks were usually mounted high on walls to allow for long pendulums and the large cast-iron weights used to drive the mechanisms. Grandfather clocks evolved from this design, using the wooden enclosure to hide the unsightly works of the clock.

Although Hyugens' pendulum design gave a quantum leap forward in clock making, English clock makers were the cream of the crop in Europe from 1660 till about the end of the 19th century when Americans introduced inexpensive brass movements.