Pictures

Seth Thomas Ship's Bells Clock - Inside bell, circa 1936

This is a nice Seth Thomas brass ship's bells clock with the large bell inside the brass case. The large brass bezel is hinged and opens to allow winding and access to the silent control lever. The typical ship's bell sequence is struck on large bell. Clock has a Seth Thomas count wheel movement with a non-jewel balance wheel for regulation. Unlike other ship's bell clocks, this one does not have a mechanism to silence the last bell of the half-hour pair, but rather it uses a pin wheel with long and short pins, working in conjunction with a conventional count wheel, to activate just one or both hammers as required to sound the correct bells sequence. The clock is considered to be a two-day clock and will typically run two or three days but we recommend winding everyday so it isn't forgotten.

The movement is basically identical to the movement used in the early outside bell models. Seth Thomas ship's bells clocks with this movement were popular as early as 1880. These count wheel movements can be challenging to service for the inexperienced repair person. Newer models abandoned the count wheel / pin wheel system. Some included jeweled platform escapements.

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