Wind-Up Clocks

Wind-up clocks made of marble, onyx, and metal were made in sophisticated art deco styles in the 1920s. Chrome, brass, copper, Bakelite, Formica, celluloid, and glass were used for clock cases for living room and bedroom clocks in the 1930s. Eight-day wind-ups were made in modern designs. Other clever clocks shaped like airplanes or statues […]

Regulator Clock

During the eighteenth century, clockmakers refined the construction of pendulums so clocks could keep accurate time. By the next century, high-quality tall case clocks stripped of striking attachments and other nonessentials were being marketed as “regulators.” They sold especially well to observatories, men’s clubs, and clockmakers, who used them to set other timepieces. By the […]

Wag-On-The-Wall Clock

The wag-on-the-wall clock was popular in Europe during the mid-1800s. These clocks were sold with a dial movement, weight, and pendulum, but they did not include a case. The wag-on-the-wall clock had a hood at the top to protect the works from dirt. Thrifty people often bought the wag-on-the-wall clock and then cased it at […]

Novelty Clocks

The idea of putting a clock into a case shaped like a person seems to have been an 1870 inspiration. Cases were made to resemble both men and women. The clock was placed in the stomach of the figure. Some of them had animated features with eyes designed to roll back and forth with each […]

Cuckoo Clock

The cuckoo clock dates back to about 1730, when the pendulum striking mechanism and the cuckoo idea were developed in Switzerland and Bavaria. It was never a popular design with American manufacturers, although some American families liked these novelties. Cuckoo clocks are still popular.

Calendar Clock

The Ithaca Calendar Clock Company of Ithaca, New York, dominated the United States calendar clock business from 1865 until about 1914, when that type of clock lost favor. The clock not only told the time, but also the date. Some calendar clocks had to be adjusted by hand when the month had fewer than thirty-one […]

Battery-Operated Clocks

The battery-powered electric clock was common in the late nineteenth century, but its batteries were large and often leaked. In 1902 Herbert Scott patented a battery-operated clock that was made by Ever-Ready Electric Specialties Company. The case was made with two brass pillars that held the batteries. A popular battery-operated clock was the Bulle clock […]

Animated Clock

Any clock with a moving part (in addition to the hands) on the clock face or case is considered animated. Clocks with animated dials were made as early as the seventeenth century. A tall case clock might have a ship that rocked or a moon that moved at the top of the clock face. Animated […]

Alarm Clock

Using a clock to wake you up is not a new idea. Some early alarm clocks even set off gunpowder charges. The wind-up alarm with a bell was made in quantity from about 1880. The most popular shape by 1900 was a round-faced clock set on small feet and topped by a large half-sphere that […]