Posted 9 years ago
Kydur
(103 items)
Here's my Seth Thomas Beehive shelf / mantel clock. I've read these alternatively referred to as "Gothic" style as well, I don't know which is the correct description.
I traded an old laptop for this clock and all it really needed was a good cleaning of the case and some new oil on the movement. It "bongs" the hours every hour and "dings" a brass bell once on the half hour.
There's a piano wire with a tight hook bend and a sharpened point that is attached to the left inside of the case (as viewed from the back and visible in the 4th photo) - it sort of swings around on it's own pivot in the wooden case - with the sharpened end aligned toward the movement - but I have no idea of its purpose. Can anybody help out?
It's my first Seth Thomas clock and has made a nice addition to my clock collection.
That is a nice Seth Thomas wood case Mantel Clock. The case style is generally referred to as "Gothic Arch" as opposed to a "Sharp Gothic" (or "Steeple") case. I think your model is called the "Stratford" from circa 1909. Your clock has a Seth Thomas 8-day Time and Strike No. 89 Movement. That was one of Seth Thomas' most widely used movements from that time period. It's capable of very good time-keeping for an antique mechanical mechanism. The wire that you refer to was/is used to hold the pendulum rod stationary when the clock is transported/shipped. You remove the pendulum bob (or weight) and then should be able to move the transport hook (for lack of a better name) up and over to latch on to the pendulum rod hook. This is important because the escapement (the part of the movement which makes the ticking sound) is a high precision part of the movement. It is easily knocked out of "beat" or even damaged by rough handling. Should that happen, the clock will not keep good time (if it runs at all). So, always remove the pendulum bob when moving the clock around. and use the transport hook if you ever need to move or ship the clock any appreciable distance. Happy collecting and thanks for sharing your Seth Thomas "Stratford"(?) with us. If your clock is a Stratford it should measure 15 inches high with a base width of 9 1/4 inches.
Hope that helps answer your question
Thanks for the excellent information Bruce. Not being a big fan of things Gothic I prefer the "Beehive" name, but it is what it is and I will refer to it by its proper name going forward!
My clock must be the younger (shorter) brother of the Stratford as it measures only 9"w x 5"d x 13.25"h.
Thanks for solving the mystery of that little hook-wire. Makes perfect sense that it should "lock" the pendulum - and I do remove the pendulum bobs before moving, but that's always a good reminder!
Hi Kydur. You're very welcome.
With those dimensions I think you have the model called the "Essex". It came in several different designs. Your design matches my circa 1921 illustration.
"Beehive" or "Gothic" are both "correct". Most collectors will know what you're talking about either way. Thanks again for sharing your Seth Thomas with us.
Bruce, just did some image searches for the "Essex" design and the results were much more consistent with what I have. I think you nailed it down for me and I've edited the title to reflect this. Thanks!
You're very welcome! Glad I could help. :)