In your search for a clock you may have noticed considerable variety in price, design and construction. No matter what the period of manufacture, some clocks were always better and more costly than others. The quality of the movement and dials along with the use of solid hardwoods and veneers or wood constructs, are variables in the production of clocks that apply to antique and new clocks alike.
Antique clocks vary tremendously in aesthetic and functional quality. With the exception of the few surviving clocks that were built by master craftsmen, with complex movements in magnificent cases aimed at the premium market of the day; and, which today are likely to cost upwards of five figures, the majority of antique clocks do not compare favourably with fine quality clocks made today.
The vast majority of antique clocks (circa 75%) were built by local carpenters, lacking the master craftsmen's experience and skills in constructing fine pieces of furniture. They were built with simple movements housed in simply made pine or oak cases for the mass market of the period. By the 19th century a huge variety of clocks were available as most villages around Europe had their own clockmaker.
Whether produced for the premium or mass market, the bottom line, when it comes to antique clocks, is condition. Lots were made, and over the centuries many have had bad things happen to them through neglect or accident: movements being dropped or badly repaired; dial paint flaking off, mouldings falling off; parts lost; cases dented; feet rotted away; clocks cut down or altered to suit fashion trends of the time and in some instances even exposed to infestation.
Most of the problems mentioned above are repairable by skilled restorers; virtually every antique clock you see has had some restoration. This fact is reflected in the sales price, the extent of which depends on the degree of work undertaken. It is quite possible that £3000 of £5000 price being asked is actually the cost of restoration. Taking all of the above into account, buying an antique clock requires substantial consideration, not to mention a thorough inspection!
A Newly Built Clock on the other hand, provides the joy of owning a beautiful clock and superb mechanical movement with piece of mind in the knowledge that you are purchasing a aesthetically pleasing and function timepiece, manufactured to meet today's exacting standards and expectations.
A clock from Clocks & Chimes is an individual piece of furniture, hand crafted using traditional methods within modern processes and constructed from the best available materials in real wood, precision movements.
Each clock is made to order and built to the highest standards. Although based on a small design range, being hand crafted, no two clocks are exactly the same each having features derived from its own build process, which takes many hours in timber preparation, assembly and finishing. Clocks & Chimes clocks are limited in qualtity and each is individually numbered.
The result is a clock that: keeps excellent time; is a delight to look at; a pleasure to own and with appropriate care is likely to be a future family treasure passed down the generations.
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