Antique
Clocks hold a fascination for the mechanically minded, in both the
intricacies and the superb engineering produced without the help
of computerised productions methods.
Man's interest in antique clocks is growing and man has always
recognized the passing of time and has tried to measure and record
that passing. The simple alarm clock owes its existence to more
than 6,000 years of thinking about time and tinkering with devices
to accurately mark its passing.
 A
general knowledge of time division was relevant to the earliest
of farmers, who sectioned quadrants of time into broad periods of
seasons for planting, growing and harvesting. In those days however,
the actual hour of any particular day was not important. As early
civilizations grew and became more complex in their needs for order
and governance a more precise measure of time was required.
The early Egyptians originated the division of each day into two
measurable parts, using the position of an obelisks shadow to mark
high noon. Other early and more precise timekeeping devices also
include the hourglass, indexed candles that burned at a fixed rate,
and water powered devices.
Early Mechanical Clocks
In medieval times, the regulation of monastic calls to prayer was
accomplished by means of mechanical tower clocks. This revolutionary
device soon synchronized the rhythms of entire cities. World views
of entire cultures were influenced by the type of clocks they used.
The development of atomic clocks, accurate to a billionth of a second,
seem to reflect modern society's near-obsession with youth, age
and the passage of time.
The very first early mechanical clocks, which didn’t have
pendulums, were developed in the last half of the thirteenth century,
probably by monks from central Europe, and were placed within the
church.
They did not have dials or hands and only struck bells on the hour.
These mechanical devices were probably placed in the church belfry
in order to make use of the existing church bell. It was over 100
years before visible dials and hands were added. These early clocks
were very large and were made of heavy iron frames and gears forged
by local blacksmiths.
In 1580 the Astronomer Galileo observed
a swinging lamp suspended by a long chain from a cathedral ceiling.
He studied its swing and discovered that each swing was equal and
had a natural rate of motion. He later found this rate of motion
depended upon the length of the chain or pendulum.
In 1640 he designed a clock mechanism
incorporating the swing of a pendulum, but he died before building
his clock design.
In 1656 Christian Huygens added a
pendulum to a clock mechanism of his own design and found it kept
excellent time. Regulating the speed of the movement was done by
simply raising or lowering the pendulum bob. Up to speed-up the
clock movement and down to slow-down the clock, thus the terms speed-up
and slow-down.
Huygens invention allowed clocks to be accurate to as little as
three minutes loss or gain per day instead of the previous quarter
to half an hour per day. The introduction of a minute hand came
about because of this increased accuracy.
By 1670, the introduction of the
anchor escapement had decreased the time variance to as little as
a few seconds per week.
By the 1600's, small domestic clocks
started to appear. They were probably made by the local gunsmiths
or locksmiths.
After 1630, a weight-driven lantern
clock became popular and was used at home by the very wealthy.
When the swinging pendulum was added in 1656, clocks became even
more accurate. Very early clock movements were mounted high above
the floor because they required long pendulums and large cast-iron
descending weights. In reality, they were nothing more than simple
mechanical works with a face and hands.
They were referred to as wags-on-the-wall. The long-case or grandfather
clock actually evolved from these early wags-on-the-wall prototypes.
Wooden cases were used only to hide the unsightly weights and cast-iron
pendulum.
Although the Dutchman Hyugens’ innovative pendulum design
brought a great leap forward in clockmaking, it was English clockmakers
who reigned supreme in Europe from about 1660 until 19th Century
America introduced inexpensive brass movements.
American Clocks and Clockmakers
Clocks were first brought to the American colonies in the early
1600s by wealthy colonists and owning a clock was a status symbol.
Most ordinary people could not afford a clock of their own and had
to rely on the church clock or the town clock. Privately owned clocks
were only found in the finest of homes and were sure to be displayed
in prominent position for all to see.
Most early clockmakers were not skilled in woodwork techniques
and turned to joiners for their woodworking abilities and the early
jointers used the exact same jointing techniques and styles they
used on furniture.
It wasn't until 1683 that an immigrant,
William Davis, actually claimed to be a clockmaker.
By 1799, the great number of clocks
attracted horological artisans to the New World. Most of these early
artisans settled in populous centers such as Boston and Philadelphia.
Later, others came to New York, Charlestown, Baltimore, and New
Haven.
The handcrafting of clocks grew in all areas of the eastern part
of the colonies. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, there
were many makers of long-case clocks in the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania.
The earliest clockmakers from Philadelphia were Samuel Bispam, Abel
Cottey, and Peter Stretch. One of the most famous of Philadelphia
clockmakers was David Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse succeeded Benjamin
Franklin as president of the American Philosophical Society and
later became Director of the United States Mint.
Nineteenth
Century Grandfather Clocks
After 1800, tall-case clocks were
produced more cheaply and in quantities that made them both affordable
and available to a greater number of people.
The clockmaking industry spread to Massachusetts, Connecticut,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
In Massachusetts, Benjamin and Ephram Willard became very famous
for their exceptionally beautiful long-case clocks. In Connecticut,
the first successful, domestic, mass-produced long-case clocks were
developed by Eli Terry.
In those days, most clock cases were made by local cabinetmakers.
The works, either brass or wood, were made by a firm that specialized
in clock works. The cabinetmaker engraved or painted his name on
the dial, claiming credit for the completed clock.
The Story of Grandfathers Clock :
 Most
people refer to tall clocks as grandfather clocks but interestingly
this term didn't come into popular use until the late 19th century.
Tall clocks were previously called either standing clocks, tall-case
clocks or hall clocks.
In 1876, a man named Henry Work wrote
a song called Grandfathers Clock. It became the most popular song
in America and the sheet music cover shown here was probably published
in 1879, three years after the introduction of the song.
The song's tremendous popularity lasted well into the 20th century.
The advent of the Industrial Revolution, together with standard
working hours and the introduction of train schedules, brought about
the need for standardised timekeeping and this really brought clockmaking
to the fore.
After 1840, wooden movements were
abandoned and the 30-hour brass movement became popular, mainly
because of its low price. Soon after, the spring-powered movement
came into being and this really paved the way for a variety of new
and smaller clock cases.
Nineteenth-Century American Clock Manufacturers
Before 1840, manufacturers were mostly
individual clockmakers or family-owned companies.
In 1840 however, Chauncey Jerome
built the largest clock factory and started shipping clocks all
over the world. It is said that the Jerome Clock Company motivated
the organisation of the Ansonia Clock Company and the Waterbury
Clock Company.
These three companies, along with the Seth Thomas Company, EN Welch
Company, Ingraham Clock Company, and Gilbert Clock Company became
the major clock producers.
By 1851, there were over 30 clock
factories in the USA and from 1840 up to 1890, millions of clocks
were produced, of which many surviving examples can still be found.
American Clock Making in the Twentieth Century
During the stock market crash of 1929, many of the large clockmaking
companies failed or were reorganized.
The great Ansonia Clock Company sold its assets to the Russian
government, shipping its machinery and equipment overseas.
The Seth Thomas Clock Company became a part of General Time Instrument
Company.
Of the original giants of the clock industry only three exist today.
They are all currently divisions of larger companies.
Seth Thomas is now a division of Talley Industries. The Ingraham
Clock Company is now a division of McGraw-Edison and the Gilbert
Clock Company has been replaced by the Sparta Corporation.
No spring-powered clocks are currently being mass-produced in the
USA.
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Antique Clocks
