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Welch, Spring & Co. Patti VP, circa 1884

Restoration project complete... almost, December 2019

In 1879 Welch, Spring & Co. began producing a series of rather unusual, and now very desirable clocks generally referred to as Patti Clocks named for a famous opera singer of the day, Adelina Patti. This clock is known as the Patti VP (visible pendulum) but other models also used variations of the unusual 8-day clock movement. The case is Rosewood and very ornate and well finished.

Supplement No. 12 to The Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. February 1978, D. H.Shaffer, Editor, Owen and Jo Burt authors (pictured below) may be the most comprehensive volume of information about Welch, Spring and Company and the Patti Clocks. The authors state, "The Patti clock was the Welch, Spring and Company's finest accomplishment, for it was this clock alone that clock collectors, antique dealers, and horological historians associate with the Welch, Spring and Company of Forestville, Connecticut."

In spite of the accolades for beauty and quality, servicing a Patti movement of this type can be challenging and may cause one to question some of the mechanical design features. In his book, How to Repair 20 American Clocks, Steven G. Conover states, "The Patti movement is the most difficult American striking movement I can recall". Indeed the Patti movement has a reputation that precedes it and that reputation is not entirely unjustified.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of the Patti movement is the main spring configuration. What appear to be a pair of conventional spring barrels or stationary spring "boxes" (Picture No. 6 at the left) are nothing more than free-floating cans that serve no other purpose than to keep the unwinding pairs of springs contained. That's right, each can contains two long (72"), thin, narrow springs separated by a brass separator. The outer ends of the springs are joined with a brass clip. The inner end of one spring is attached to the main wheel and the other inner end to the winding arbor. Both springs wind together. Removal of the springs is not a major problem but rewinding them and getting them back in the "can" with the brass separator between them can be a trying experience and is likely the reason many consider this a most difficult clock to service. Most commercial spring winders are simply not designed to wind both springs from the center like this. The winder shown is something I made and with the fixture shown to secure the main wheel, winding the Patti springs presents no real problem. It does help to place a cardboard separator between the springs until they are wound enough to be kept apart by the brass separator. The time side is shown but the strike side has the same arrangement.

The springs are "slot end" having a narrow slot about 0.030" wide and 3/8" long to accept the brass joining clip. When replacing a spring they should be replaced as a pair to ensure proper unwinding. It is also good to replace the brass clip. These parts are not available as direct replacement parts. A few years ago H. & W. Perrin Co. Limited, Toronto, Canada listed a hole end spring, No. CP-M806H (8mm x 0.35mm x 1800mm) that is close enough to work if the hole end is cut off and a slot cut in the end. Fortunately, what I believe to be the original springs in this clock are fine and did not require replacements.

B. B. Lewis designed the double spring arrangement. The patent states "By placing two springs together, I double the length of time they will run without increasing their power." There appears to be no other reason for this peculiar arrangement except perhaps to allow the construction of a smaller 8-day movement, which this is.

Another unusual feature of the Patti movement, which is also found on some other Welch, Spring & Co. clocks is the Club Foot Escapement. Although a bit strange looking at first with it's blunt escape wheel tooth tips with a bit of overhang on one side, this is simply another form of deadbeat or possibly half-deadbeat escapement where the locking and impulse faces are on the escape wheel instead of being on the verge or pallet strip. These run well and are not difficult to adjust but if there is any advantage over a conventional deadbeat escapement it has escaped this writer. One major disadvantage is that replacement escape wheels must be custom made and special machining techniques are required to create satisfactory replacements. The club-foot escape wheel in this clock is somewhat different from others I have seen in that the teeth are wider at the base and are dished out on one side.

As Welch, Spring and Company's "finest accomplishment" these movements seem to present a number of unexplained departures from what one would expect in a movement of best design and highest quality in that day. The brass plates of the movement are 0.070" thick, well made and very sturdy, but the wheels appear thin and very "ordinary". The pivots are very fine as one might expect on a high quality clock but they appear NOT to be hardened like on a fine French clock but left soft and easily bent during assembly. The pendulum is suspended from a trapeze suspension typical of a Cuckoo clock, which is OK, but the swinging point is raised well above the axis of rotation of the verge. This results in the crutch wire constantly sliding up and down in the wooden slot in the pendulum support stick creating unnecessary friction and wear. Better clocks place the swinging point of the pendulum in line with the verge arbor or nearly so, and the slot in a wooden pendulum stick is usually surrounded by a metal wear plate.

The movement has no "beat adjustment" other than bending the brass crutch wire and with no door or access through the back of the case, adjusting the beat on this clock is difficult to impossible once the movement is mounted in the case. For an 8-day time and strike clock, this is a very small and compact movement, but there is ample room in the case for a larger more conventional movement. The thin narrow springs do make this clock very easy to wind but it takes a lot of turns to do so. Someone with little strength in their hands would appreciate the small force required to turn the key. The strike control levers, especially the count lever, are extremely short and adjustment must be precise. When servicing this clock one is advised to check carefully for worn strike control lever pivot hole wear and install bushings if the the levers are lose. There is no helper spring on the count lever and the clock should work OK that way.

These are beautiful clocks and have proven reliable for well over 100 years but they do embody some strange designs and can be challenging to repair.


I acquired this clock in June 2019. The face was in poor condition and has been restored on the original zinc dial pan by The Dial House and looks great!. The movement ran as received after a beat adjustment but it was disassembled, cleaned and 20 some bushings installed. There was one small button finial missing and the three larger finials had damage to the bottom base rings which has been repaired (see photos at the right). The curved top of the case was missing its veneer which has now been replaced with new rosewood veneer. The glass in the door may be a replacement and unfortunately is missing the original gold leaf decorations. The hands were old but do not appear to be correct. The hands were replaced with new hands listed specifically for the Patti VP but I'm not sure the size and shape is exactly right. Most of the original label is on the back. The bright blue pendulum is sometimes seen on the Patti-VP and is likely original. The black paper on the inside of the case is not in great condition and where some pieces are missing the wood is painted black. I do not plan to do any further restoration. The clock runs well and I enjoy it "as is". I may eventually offer it for sale when "the market is right".

SOLD - Private Sale


The information on this page is believed to the writer to be correct at the date of posting but is presented with no guarantee expressed or implied. Pictures were a true representation of this clock at the time of posting but may not be current. Please contact me if you believe that any of the above information is incorrect, or if you wish to share additional information, or discuss this clock.

Unless otherwise credited, the pictures and information on this page are the property of Robert H Croswell & Greenfield Clock shop, 4180 Main Street, Trappe, MD 21673 and may not be sold or used for commercial purposes without permission. © 2019

email:  bobby@greenfieldclockshop.com