| What do you collect? | Clothing + Fashion | Jewelry + Watches | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Ads + Signs | Autos + Transport | Eras + Decades | All » |
Banjo Clocks
About Antique Banjo Clocks
First patented in 1802 by brothers Aaron and Simon Willard, the banjo clock was one of the most popular clocks of its time. Despite the patent, it didn’t take long for other clockmakers to jump on the bandwagon and copy the Willards’ design. Unfortunately for collectors of antique banjo clocks, many Willard banjo clocks do not carry their maker’s name, so it is often difficult to identify who made it.
Originally called an "Improved Timepiece," the clock later became known as a "banjo" because it looked similar to the musical instrument. Its white, circular face, painted with black numbers (mostly Roman numerals), flows into a long, tapered neck, which meets at a square base. The hinged door of the base is elaborately painted, often with a beautiful view, a naval scene, or an ornamental pattern. Thin pieces of curved brass often run down the necks of these clocks, and brass sculptures, most commonly of an eagle, routinely crown their tops...
Banjo clocks had eight-day movements, which means they only had to be rewound every eight days. They were originally designed as wall clocks, but due to their immense popularity, variations meant to sit on the mantel were soon created as well, albeit in smaller quantities.
Because of their popularity, banjo clocks spawned numerous variations, the most popular of which were the lyre and the girandole. The lyre, also shaped like the instrument from which it got its name, had the same head as a banjo clock, but featured strings extending downwards, making it look even more like a stringed instrument. Some lyres hung on walls, while others rested on mantels, and many had floral patterns painted on the front.
The girandole’s base was larger than a banjo clock’s, and its design was more elaborate and ornamental. It was first created by Lemuel Curtis, who was the nephew and apprentice of Aaron Willard.
Banjo clocks maintained their popularity for 60 years. In the 1840s, they began to be used at railroad stations. Some banjo clocks made for the railroads reached a whopping seven feet high. But by the 1860s, banjo clocks were becoming less and less desirable, and soon their production came almost to a complete halt, which is why they are so prized by collectors today.
Post an Event
Upcoming Events
- Sense of Time
Jan 12–Apr 30. Columbia, PA. - WS-120 Using the Micro Mill for the Beginner
Jun 19–20. Columbia, PA. - 65th NAWCC National Convention
Jun 16–20. York, PA.
Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Antique Clock Collector Bill Stoddard
How did I get interested in clocks? Something about them has always been ingrained in me. My mom’s father had a sma… [more]
An Interview With 19th Century Antique Clock Collector Dave Weisbart
I was working as a jewelry department manager for a department store, and I had a customer who brought a clock in f… [more]
An Interview with Tall-Case Antique Clock Collector Gary Sullivan New!
As a teenager, I got into repairing the old furniture in our attic. One day, I wandered into a local antiques shop … [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
National Watch and Clock Museum
This virtual museum, created by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, lets you stroll through tim… [read review or visit site]
Clockhistory.com
Bill Stoddard's clock history site offers a trove of great reference information on clock and watch makers includin… [read review or visit site]
National Maritime Museum
Check out this sampling of nautical and maritime items held by the U.K.'s National Maritime Museum and Royal Observ… [read review or visit site]
Dan and Diana's Lux Clock Collection
Dan and Diana Lockett's amazing collection of several hundred novelty Lux clocks made by the Lux Clock Manufacturin… [read review or visit site]
Detex Watchman's Clock Album
Philip Haselton's guide to watchmen's time recording equipment. Includes 19th century German portables, 20th centur… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Clubs & Associations: Clocks
Discussion Forums: Clocks
Other Great Reference Sites: Clocks
- Bowes Museum: Clocks and Watches
- Dave's American Clocks
- Cadrans-Solaires Sundials Site
- Antique Clock Guy Reference Library
- The Canadian Clock Museum
- Clockwatch.de
Are we missing one? Tell us.
Top eBay Auctions Help | Get weekly Banjo Clocks email
»» Get our weekly Banjo Clocks email
Clocks
- overview
- Ansonia clocks
- Ingraham clocks
- New Haven clocks
- Sessions clocks
- Waterbury clocks
- Seth Thomas clocks
- Gilbert clocks
- French clocks
- German and Austrian clocks
- wall clocks
- mantel clocks
- grandfather clocks
- cuckoo clocks
- regulator clocks
- calendar clocks
- weight driven clocks
- banjo clocks
- alarm clocks
- ships clocks
- advertising clocks
- Art Deco clocks
- Mid-Century clocks
- Coca-Cola clocks
- suggest a category
- see all categories