The term American clock refers to a style of
clock
A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...
design. During the 1600s, when metal was harder to come by in the colonies than wood, works for many American clocks were made of wood, including the gears, which were whittled and fashioned by hand, as were all other parts. There is some evidence that wooden clocks were being made as early as 1715 near New Haven.
Benjamin Cheney of
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from ...
, was producing wooden striking clocks by 1745.
In the 19th century, many clocks and watches were produced in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, especially in
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, where many companies were formed to
mass-produce
Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. ...
quality timepieces.
Makers of American clocks included:
*
Ansonia Clock Company
The Ansonia Clock Company was a clock manufacturing business founded in Ansonia, Connecticut, in 1851 and which moved to Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, in 1878. The company has produced hundreds of different clock models, including Gingerb ...
, 1851–1930
*
Waterbury Clock Company
Timex Group USA, Inc. (formerly known as Timex Corporation) is an American global watch manufacturing company founded in 1854 as the Waterbury Clock Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1944, the company became insolvent but was reformed into ...
, 1857–1944
*
Seth Thomas Clock Company
The Seth Thomas Clock Company was founded by Seth Thomas in Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, and began producing clocks in 1813. It was incorporated as the "Seth Thomas Clock Company" in 1853. Plymouth Hollow, a part of the town of Plymouth, was i ...
, 1853–1930
*W.L. Gilbert & Co., 1845–48 and 1851–66, later Gilbert Mfg. Co., William L. Gilbert Clock Company
*Elias Ingraham & Co., 1857–60, 1861–1958
*E.N. Welch Mfg. Co., 1864–1903
*Sessions Clock Co., 1903–56
*
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
Clock Co., 1853–1960
*F. Kroeber Clock Co., 1863–1904
*
Boston Clock Company
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...
, 1884–1894, founded by
Joseph Eastman
References
Sources
*
*
External links
The American Clock & Watch Museumin
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, southwest-west of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is also 120 miles southwest from Boston, and approximately 100 miles northeast of New York City. The ...
"Chelsea" Clock Museum
at "Dave's American Clocks"
Timexpo Museum
in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...
Clock designs
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