Bulkhead ship's clock by The Chelsea Clock Company
- Height:
- 18.5cm diameter
- Maker:
- The Chelsea Clock Company
- Price:
- £495
Charming bulkhead ship’s clock by The Chelsea Clock Company. The weathered brass case of this clock was once screwed to the bulkhead of a ship. It contains an eight-day spring-driven movement, consisting of going and striking trains. The going train has an English lever escapement as its regulating device. The movement was serviced and comes with a two-year guarantee.
The time is indicated by a pair of blued steel moon hands on an Arabic chapter ring surrounded by a minute track. To the left on the silvered dial is a regulation wheel. The dial is signed as follows:
CHELSEA
SHIP’S BELL
The ship’s bell strikes in 30-minute increments over a 4 hour “watch” period. There is one bell strike for each 30-minute segment beginning with a single bell strike at half past midnight and counting up to 8 bell strikes at 4:00 a.m. marking the end of the 4-hour watch period.
It can be found out when the clock was made on the basis of its production number. My guess is that it dates back to the 1950s.
The maker
Joseph Eastman started the business that is now the Chelsea Clock Company in 1886. During this time watchmaking advanced to its present excellence. While the watch escapement type of clock had been made in a limited way for use aboard ships, it was Eastman’s idea to put the watch escapement in a high-quality striking clock for home use. He argued that it could make an excellent timekeeper, that it would run in any position, and that it would not have to be set plum on the mantle as pendulum clocks did. It would be small and compact and lend itself to small cases. In 1886 Eastman built a factory on Everett Avenue in Chelsea MA and called it the Eastman Clock Company. After experiencing operating difficulties, the name of the company became the Boston Clock Company, and the business was bought by Charles H. Pearson of Brookline in 1897. At this time, he changed the name yet again to the Chelsea Clock Company.
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