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Clocks, Watches/Seth Thomas mantel clock
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Question
I just bought an electic Seth Thomas mantel clock at an auction which still works. There is a hinged back door under which there is paper instructions and information about the clock; which is very hard to read. It appears that there Cat. No. is 3694 (?). At the time the clock was made Seth Thomas was a Division of General Times Instruments. On the bottom of the papeer it reads T-50 and then hand written 428. Is any of this enough information to determine the year the clock was made?
Marie, I do not have much information on electric clocks and cannot reference any numbers. I do have a book, "150 Years of Electric Horology", published by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and their Chapter #125, which mentions the Seth Thomas electric clocks. It states that Seth Thomas produced the first electric motors in clocks to power the mainspring, which in turn, ran the clock as it normally would. This type of arrangement was used on clocks until the late 1940's. In 1928 they started using a synchronous motor to power the hands through some gearing. These clocks were very accurate as the timing was controlled by the frequency of the electric current that was produced for the home by the power companies, as long as there wasn't a power failure! You might try contacting the NAWCC and see if they could put in contact with a member of Chapter #125 for more information.
John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama
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Answers by Expert:
John Newman
Expertise
As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.
Experience
One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.
Organizations
Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Committee
Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.
Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology
Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)
Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama)
Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)
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