Watches, clocks and ticking things.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Hello all,

 

 

Here is where you can post all you like about watches, clocks, clockwork toys, and other such things. 
 

 

Here’s my contribution, my newly acquired (funnily enough it’s the 5th watch I’ve ever owned) 1884 American Waltham Watch Company Model 1877, which a P.S. Bartlett type movement. 

 

 

 

It was acquired last week in an antique store in Santa Fe New Mexico for a very good price, and runs quite well for its age only gaining 5 minutes a day. Mind you I haven’t adjusted it.

 

 

Douglas
 

 

[J. S. Bach]

This one does not tick:

This GE C-14 clock was used as an interval timer for a recording demand meter. There is a set of contacts that close sending a pulse to the recording pen register.

BTW The scraped area should have a General Electric tag.

 

EDIT: This is about seven inches in diameter and matches the bottom-connected watthour meter configuration of its day.

EDIT #2: Recording pen register/printing demand meter:

This was on ebay; I now wish that I had bid on it. The large cylinder is a solenoid activated by the contacts in the C-14 clock above.

Edited March 23, 2021 by J. S. Bach
To add some information.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

I took the time yesterday to take the dial off the one mechanical clock in the house and give a good oil, as it probably needed one. Really I need to to take the movement out completely and make a new back wall for the clock as the current one has warped from presumably water damage.

 

 

I think it’s a Seth Thomas design mantle clock from the 1890s, with a movement by a company from back East somewhere, (I can’t remember who) and was last serviced in the 60s. Funnily though it came from the grandparents house with the key for a Popular Progress of England clock, which baffled me until recently.  

 

Douglas

 

[J. S. Bach]

Oh gear dear, that looks complicated! 

[Johann Marsbar]

This was posted on one of the US preservation Forums yesterday and seems to fit in with this thread......

 

 

[Gibbo675]

6 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I took the time yesterday to take the dial off the one mechanical clock in the house and give a good oil, as it probably needed one. Really I need to to take the movement out completely and make a new back wall for the clock as the current one has warped from presumably water damage.

 

 

I think it’s a Seth Thomas design mantle clock from the 1890s, with a movement by a company from back East somewhere, (I can’t remember who) and was last serviced in the 60s. Funnily though it came from the grandparents house with the key for a Popular Progress of England clock, which baffled me until recently.  

 

Douglas

 

Hi Douglas,

 

Do not oil clock mechanisms, it attracts dirt which induces wear and it will also induce viscous drag which will retard the mechanism. A good clean will free up a clock rather than lubrication with out al the associated problems.

 

Gibbo.

[Hroth]

On 23/03/2021 at 00:23, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Hello all,

 

 

Here is where you can post all you like about watches, clocks, clockwork toys, and other such things. 
 

 

Here’s my contribution, my newly acquired (funnily enough it’s the 5th watch I’ve ever owned) 1884 American Waltham Watch Company Model 1877, which a P.S. Bartlett type movement. 

 

 

 

It was acquired last week in an antique store in Santa Fe New Mexico for a very good price, and runs quite well for its age only gaining 5 minutes a day. Mind you I haven’t adjusted it.

 

 

Douglas
 

 

 

Much nicer than the so called "steampunk" ones flogged on the bay of fleas.

 

I've got all the family antique gold watches, some in very good condition.  Apart from my fathers Rotary wrist watches, none work so they're display only.

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Douglas,

 

Do not oil clock mechanisms, it attracts dirt which induces wear and it will also induce viscous drag which will retard the mechanism. A good clean will free up a clock rather than lubrication with out al the associated problems.

 

Gibbo.

I’m not sure about that, as I was told by a professional horologist to oil mine, and I only use special clock oil. 

[J. S. Bach]

Somewhere I have Dad's first item that he bought with his own, earned money; an Illinois Sterling pocket watch with a photo of a very young Mother pasted on the inside of the watch face cover. Hopefully, it will turn up again at some point.

[Gibbo675]

3 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I’m not sure about that, as I was told by a professional horologist to oil mine, and I only use special clock oil. 

Hi Florence,

 

Just passing on what I learned from two years working at Cumbria Clocks for a bloke who is a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.

 

Gibbo.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I should have said in the above post, pin point bearings as used in model railway wheelsets were first developed for use in clocks and watches. For church and town hall type clocks, steel in hard brass and hardened steel in jewels for high quality mantle clocks and watches.

 

Gibbo.

[Nearholmer]

Gibbo's "don't oil" advice is exactly what I grew up with, my father being an enthusiastic restorer of old clocks among his multiple other hobbies, and have heard again recently from a person who has a fair few good-quality clocks dating from the 1910s to 1960s.

[Barry Ten]

On 25/03/2021 at 13:42, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I’m not sure about that, as I was told by a professional horologist to oil mine, and I only use special clock oil. 

 

I guess this is one of those where you'll inevitably get conflicting opinions.  I did a very light lubrication on my grandfather clock after about 8 or 9 years of service (more like 4 or 5 years of ticking, as we stop it at night). I only did this after reading a lot of online advice and applied the oil very sparingly.

 

I'm not sure what the name is for the paddle-wheel shaped governers that whirl around when the clock is striking, but those seem to need a tiny touch of oil periodically.

[Barry Ten]

Here's our grandfather clock. It's one of my most treasured possessions and there's not  day when I don't enjoy starting it, stopping it, winding it, etc. It was sold in Aberdare by a local clockmaker in the 1860s (I've got the history somewhere) but ended up in another part of Wales before we repatriated it.

 

 

I don't know anything about this marble-cased mantle-piece clock except it that belonged to my grandmother before coming to me after her death. The case had sustained some damage over the years with chips missing from the corners and sides. My project last summer was to repair the damage with clear-setting epoxy, built up in numerous layers and then filed back to shape.  My plan had been to tint the epoxy after finishing but once it was in place, I felt that the colour of the original marble came through quite well so I've left it alone, Mainly the damage no longer catches the eye. Again, owning this clock (and looking after it) gives me great enjoyment.

 

[JZ]

I thought I would weigh in with some of my time pieces.

This has been in my possession for 32 years. It was previously my Great Aunt's and she had had it for as long as I can remember. Don't know the maker or age, but it keeps pretty good time. She had another, a grandmother clock, but that was stolen when her bungalow was broken into, the day before her funeral.

 

Next is this Oris 652 Calibre. This was given to me on my 8th birthday. It had a new glass and winder after I was in a road accident when I was 12. Until about three years ago it kept good time, but then after then it would only run for around 8 hours and was gaining about 4 seconds an hour. Oris have quoted between £350 and £400 for repair, it cost 8 guineas new in 1964. I will get it repaired in time for it's 60th.

 

Pleased with the reliability of the above watch, I took the plunge and bought another Oris last year.

Green Aquis 43.5. Keeps time to about 1 second per day, which, for a mechanical watch, is pretty good.

 

Then, yesterday, I went and bought this.

Longines HydroConquest. I saw it in a jewellers in Nottingham. I had actually walked past the shop, but something drew me back. Later in the day, I had another look at it, then did a bit of research. It was second-hand, but from the original jeweller. So yesterday morning I went in to take a close look and ended up paying a deposit and went back later to collect after they had taken a couple of links out of the strap. Never had a gold coloured watch before, but just fell in love with this.

My everyday watch is a Citizen Eco-drive, but as it has a quartz movement, I won't post it here.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by JZ