Dent and Company is perhaps best known for designing the Tower Clock in England’s Houses of Parliament, that has become known over the years as Big Ben (which is actually the name of the Bell in the Clock Tower).

Dent also made bracket clocks and wall clocks, though we see very few of them for sale.  Antique Grandfather Clocks by Dent also no doubt exist, though we believe they are quite rare as we can’t remember the last time we saw an original of  Dent Grandfather Clocks.

Pocket Watches by Dent are of extraordinarily high quality and were made in some large numbers.  The Dent family spanned several generations in clocks and pocket watch making.

The history of Dent & Co. spans three centuries of precision watch and clock making in Great Britain. Established in 1814 by (the very first) Edward J. Dent, the company embraced the Victorian fervor for technological innovation and created precision chronometers to navigate the Royal Navy and guide some of the most intrepid explorers on their voyages. The British Empire was in full expansion and its maritime tradition had produced some remarkable technological breakthroughs from the late 18th century; John Harrison’s triumphant mechanical solution in 1764 to locate a ship’s position at sea won the coveted Board of Longitudes prize money and further consolidated Britain as the horological force in the world.  Propelling the impetus of Britain’s primacy, Dent proved a key player in Victorian horological history manufacturing the Standard Clock at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich which was to keep “Greenwich Mean Time”  the time to which all others in the Empire were referred, (better known today as G.M.T.) and continued to do so until replaced by an electronic clock in 1946.  Dent also made probably the most famous clock in the world – the Great Clock for the Houses of Parliament, familiarly known as Big Ben.

A Chronology of Dent Family Business Premises – all locations are in London, England

1826   E.J.Dent, 43 King Street, Long Acre

1830   Arnold & Dent, 84 Strand

1840   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand

1843   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street

1847   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street & 34 Royal Exchange

1851   Edward J. Dent, 61 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street & 34 Royal Exchange

1853  Frederick Dent, 61 Strand & 34 Royal Exchange

1853   Richard Edward Dent, 33 Cockspur Street

1856   Frederick Dent, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1857   M. F. Dent, 33 Cockspur Street

1861   Dent & Co, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1861   M. F. Dent, 33 & 34 Cockspur Street

1864   E. Dent & Co, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1886   E. Dent & Co, 61 Strand, & 4 Royal Exchange

1897  E. Dent & Co Ltd, 61 Strand, & 4 Royal Exchange

1904   M. F. Dent, 34 Cockspur Street

1920   E.  Dent & Co Ltd (consolidation M. F. Dent), 61 Strand, 4 Royal Exchange & 34 Cockspur Street

1921   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 61 Strand, 4 Royal Exchange & 28 Cockspur Street

1936   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 41 Pall Mall & 4 Royal Exchange

1941 – 1977   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 41 Pall Mall

Dent & Co. also acquired a range of titles and appointments. They include:

Makers to and holders of Royal Warrants from Her Majesty Queen Victoria and H.R.H. Albert, Prince of Wales, His Majesty King Edward VI, His Majesty King George V,  Her Majesty Queen Mary, His Majesty Tsar Alexander III, His Majesty Tsar Nicolas II Emperors of Russia and His Majesty Emperor Mejii of Japan.  Makers to the Courts and Governments of France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Germany, Spain, the United States, Japan and no doubt many others.

If one asks the average clock shopper what are the very best brands of clocks out there historically, including grandfather clocks, mantel clocks, and wall clocks, the answers given will be all over the map.  Interestingly, though, one can be sure that much of the time one will here of Tiffany & Company as the best maker of clocks.

Well, Tiffany Clocks are an interesting place to start, especially when looking back over time and also including antique clocks.  Over time, and we honestly are not certain about today’s practices, but historically Tiffany never made there own grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantel clocks, carriage clocks, cartel clocks, or even desk clocks.  The Company sourced out its clock making as well as Tiffany pocket watch making to different companies, generally all of whom were considered high-end.  Some early Tiffany Grandfather Clocks were actually made by the Waltham Clock and Watch Company, frequently unsigned by the actual maker.  Others we know of were made by Elliot of London, Herschede, Walter Durfee, and Winterhalder & Hoffmeier, among other.  Many mantel clocks were actually made by Japy Freres or Samuel Marti, among many others.  Pocket watches were made by companies as diverse as Patek Philippe, Longines, and the Concord Watch Company, all of excellent quality, though some would argue quality to varying degrees.  The older clocks were generally made in smaller groups, and to our knowledge Tiffany did not keep records of exactly what made whom when [note to Tiffany & Co. - please feel free to set the record straight by adding a comment or contacting us directly to adderess].  Our understanding is that they were also made in small groups.  And though the Tiffany name was-is proudly displayed on the clock, they were actually “only” the retailer of the clocks.

Not that this is-was a new practice.  In Britian in the 1800s, it was standard practice for many clock retailers, and many pocket watch makers as well, to put their own name of the dial of the clock, with varying practices about hopww much information did or did not go on the movement.  So there was no funny business going on here, simply carrying on a long-held tradition in the retailing industry!

What about other well known names like Cartier Clocks, Seth Thomas, Ingraham Clocks, Simon Willard Clocks and Aaron Willard Clocks, Howard Miller, Ridgeway Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Kieninger Clocks, Gustav Becker clocks, Leinzkirk clocks, Warren Telechron Clocks, General Electric, Self Winding Clock Company Clocks, E Howard and Company Clocks, and so many more.

It is interesting that the value of some antique clocks today may be a casualty opf the succcess and durability of particular manufacturers.  In particular we think of Seth Thomas, which made great clocks, is Amrerica’s oldest Clock Company, and was probably the most prolific.  However, because they made their clocks built to last, we believe their prices as collectibles have been severely tempered simply as a result of supply and demand.  There are still simply so many people out there with working Seth Thomas Clocks.

What about English clockmakers.  The list of great British clockmakers is too long to even begin to enumerate.  So we will take the cowardly way out and simply skip over this vast and rich subject and history.  Among German clocks, some of the clockmakers we like the best are Gustav Becker and Winterhalder & Hoffmeier.  It is important to note that we are glossing over many GREAT master clocksmiths who may have made the most fantastic clocks, but did so in smaller numbers.  The farther back one goes in history, the more true this is.  In England, just as an example of this one point J.W. Benson and Edward Dent (the creator of Big Ben) made clocks in vastly smaller numbers than more contemporary British makers, e.g. Elliot of London.

WHom do you think makes the best clocks?  Today, many would argue that Howard Miller Clocks and Hermle Clocks, along with Ridgeway Clocks and Kieninger, and Bulova Clocks are among the leaders.  And NOT coincidentally, these are among the brands that are featured and sold by 1-800-4CLOCKS.

Howard Miller Grandfather Clcoks have been the high-end market leader in grandfather clocks over the last generation.  The Ridgeway Grandfather Clock collection, Hermle Floor Clocks, Bulova Grandfather Clcoks, and Kieninger Grandfather Clocks, among others, all seem to have gained some traction in recent years. We believe they are all of excellent quality and worksmanship, with mostly all solid wood cases and high-end German 8 Day mechanical clocks movements.

The history of grandfather clocks and clock history in general will continue to evolve in the years and decades to come.

One interesting dunamic is the relatively recent flood of what we view as poorer quality imports from the Far East.  We fully expect to see some better quality and more competition in this area in the years to come.

We welcome your comments as to whom you would add to the best of clocks list.  Think of this as the beginning of time.

1-800-4CLOCKS gets dozens of calls every day from individuals wanting to know “how much” their clock is worth. Even more complicated is people who call who already have had appraisals done on their grandfather clocks, wall clocks or mantle clocks. Aside from the fact that our website states we charge $100 an hour for research on clocks, all of us could spend all of our time researching clocks and answering fielding questions.

Aside from the fact that most people wanting to know how much their clock is worth are looking to sell it, and as dealers in antique and new grandfather clocks, mantel clocks and wall clocks, we would have an obvious conflict of interest in providing objective valuations, this does not deter the calls. Even worse, while there are some reputable appraisers out there, we find the large majority are appraising clocks and pocket watches for values much higher than the individuals would ever reasonably attain, even when looking at replacement value for clocks and watches, which is almost always the highest value anyone could justify for the timepiece.

And how does one value a timepiece? Aside from the most obvious fact today that we are living in difficult economic times where so many are looking to sell something of perceived value, and most all individuals are willing to pay much less than they have in recent years, there are also other clocks valuation factors at work. There is the Sotheby’s and Christies valuation, which generally require the clock to be perfect inside and out and as we understand it, may charge both upfront fees, e.g. for photos, and have a significant commission percent as well added to the eventual price (and no doubt factored in by prospective buyers). Then there is always the “replacement value”, which can be made to be quite high, especially for somewhat more unusual clocks or clocks or other timepieces with rare features. Then there is the what we call sitting in a high-end Antique Store for a Year price, which could be high. Another is selling it on eBay, marketing it well with great pictures and by a well-respected seller (remember fees and time cost apply as well here). Then there is simply putting it on eBay in a “throwing it out there” style, maybe well or not well described. There is also selling it locally, whether on Craigslist or perhaps even on consignment with a local shop. And don’t forget the garage sale or flea market sale, where many old clocks and other timepieces are actually sold.

The condition of the clocks or timepieces plays a critical role in its potential valuation, and more often than not, we find people have little knowledge of whether “grandfathers clock” even works, much less how to describe it or what clock model or pocket watch size or movement or case material (e.g. platinum, 18k gold, 14k gold, gold plated, sterling silver, etc.) it might be.

And don’t forget about counterfeit or reproduction clocks and watches and the risks posed by those. This is an increasing problem, with many better clocks coming from China, India, Western Europe, and no doubt the USA as well. Sometimes these clocks are “half-real” with original movements but reproduction cases, or vice versa.

And even with all of the above, prices actually realized can vary and be VERY hard to predict even when when has a good handle on all the variables. Another way of saying this is that the clock is worth as much as an individual or organization is willing to pay at that moment in time and under that set of circumstances, and based on the terms offered. One can make an educated assessment, but the reality may vary over time with EVERY OTHER FACTOR being identical.

Back to Appraisals — there are organizations out there that certify Appraisers, and some are considered to be as we understand it quite respectable.  We will in a future blog post include a list of those whom we understand to be most reputable.

At 1-800-4CLOCKS, we have been absolutely besieged by Customers who want to sell items they own which contain solid gold in it’s different forms, e.g. 14 gold, 18k gold, etc.

The television advertising Cash4Gold has only accelerated this trend. By the way, our personal view is one that sending away one’s gold to an entity without knowing its true value, and then getting a check, is a recipe for being taken advantage of. But who are we to say, I suppose.

In contrast to the opinion of many clocks owners, clocks with Solid 14 Gold are extraordinarily rare. Bronze and brass were the favored materials, and gave the same look and color.

The place where there is real gold lurking out there stored in drawers or long-forgotten closet stashes, is in pocket watches. Many pocket watches are made with solid 14k or solid 18k gold. But they can be hard to spot if one is not an expert, and still, the vast majority of even gold colored antique pocket watch cases are gold-filled vs. gold.

We always invite our customers to arrange a meeting if they have any collections of watches, pocket watches or vintage wrist watches, that they might be interested in selling for a fair price.

Here below are 2 diagrams which include INCREDIBLY USEFUL information when trying to both describe your pocket watch, and to be able to describe your watch most effectively.

US Made Watch Sizes Conversion Chart:

This summary of American Pocket Watch sizes will be very useful in knowing which model you own, and well as to describing it to prospective buyers or collectors, or simply for your own use.

By the way, if you do have or come across a solid 14k or solid 18k grandfather clock, please let us know!

DIAMOND COLOR SCALE

DIAMOND CLARITY SCALE

OK, so I think I am an expert on clocks and time. I advise people in Companies on how to adapt their time systems to changes in Daylight Savings Time, and it has even become slightly complicated, perhaps even requiring a so-called expert, or so I might have called myself before today. A good chunk of the last week was devoted to the History of Daylight Savings Time, helping our corporate and individual customers know what to expect and why, and how it might even affect their own networks and employee time tracking system. Even owners of grandfather clocks wanted advice. We shared that these most recent changes came about as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed by President George W Bush. We pointed to some of the unanticipated problems that occurred last week and that might be expected to happen this weekend. And how it could extend to every timekeeping gagdet of the numerous variety that exist in today’s world.

We even addressed energy savings, worker productivity, and even had the opportunity to put in a common public safety plug recommending battery changes to smoke detectors with each of the 2 changes in daylight savings time each year. Motherhood and apple pie.

We knew and spoke of software companies that were busily at work sending out last minute patches.

Well, talk about the emperor having no clothes, or in this case no clock or no telephone either. My telephone-pda-internet connection all-in-one-device, my umbilical chord to the working world at large, would not even turn on today. And guess what, the patch that was sent and had been applied didn’t help one iota! No time, no email, no internet connection, no nothing!

So much for good planning. My carrier-supplier shall remain nameless. Perhaps I’ll have better luck next time! If this does happen again, 1-800-4CLOCKS may feel compelled to name names. But I think because of the extra hour of sleep I got, I am feeling a little more relaxed and in a better frame of mind.

At the 1-800-4CLOCKS.com Store in Grand Central Station, literally almost all kinds of clocks and watches are repaired, from grandfather clocks to wall clocks to atomic and cuckoo clocks. Antique grandfather clocks and all kinds of mechanical clocks in general are one specialty. Almost all kinds of quartz clocks are repaired as well, which usually means replacing their movements. As most people who are looking to get their antique grandfather clock or wall clock or mantel clock or pocket watches repaired know, there is a tremendous shortage of qualified individuals to repair these clocks and watches. 1-800-4CLOCKS rarely ever even goes out of its way to mention clocks repair and watch repairs, because of the existing backlog of work in this area.

1-800-4CLOCKS is addressing this challenge in 2 ways, the first of which leads to actively seeking articulate and telegenic individuals who are also expert in the repair of clocks. The plan is to make one or hopefully a series of streaming videos, which are planned to be launched on a website for which the domain was recently acquired by 1-800-4CLOCKS, which is www.clocks.tv. The clocks.tv website is expected to be formally launched within the next 2 months.

Individuals with existing clock instructional videos or streaming video are encouraged to contact 1-800-4CLOCKS, as are those who might be interested in making new ones. The more knowledge that can be shared in this field of horology and clocks, the better. Everyone in current and future generations can benefit.

In addition, and a separate point, 1-800-4CLOCKS is planning to list a locator on its website for clocks repair people which is searchable by zip code. This is being provided as a public service. Owners of grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks and more should benefit when they are in need of this service, which by its nature tends to be more local (although repairs for individuals and organizations all around the world who mail their clocks and watches to 1-800-4CLOCKS for repair). This is obviously especially less practical for grandfather clocks. It is hoped people throughout time will benefit.

In the world of clocks and watches and pocket watches, there is a very natural and historical time divide in the standardization and resulting ease of obtaining clock and watch and pocket watch parts to repair clocks or watches. This is true not only based on the age of the timepiece, but also for repairs for clocks and watches originally made within and between both Continents and individual countries.

The two most important contributors to this dichotomy are 1. that European clocks and pocket watches have a much longer history of being produced, with much diversity both within and between countries of origin, and 2. USA Pocket Watch and early Clockmakers — e.g. Seth Thomas Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, Howard Miller Clocks — starting production at least a century later in time, and most went to great lengths to standardize aspects of both early clocks components and parts for pocket watches (with companies such as the Waltham Watch Co., Elgin Watches, and the Hamilton Watch Company). With the documentation and standardization of parts and component sizes and diagrams, making repairs became immensely easier and even possible.

European pocket watches and clocks, have had home grown, and in many cases family owned clockmaking and watchmaking businesses, and had enormous variations in parts, including component sizes and design, both within and between countries, over time, and even in the same countries in the same generations (e.g. Swiss pocket watches being made by hundreds or thousands of different families and individuals, say during the 1800s). This is as true for England as it was for France and Germany during this earlier era of horological history.

The positive side of this is that there is much more diversity and uniquity in Antique Clocks and Antique Pocket Watches (giving rise to pocket watch and later watch brands as well known and respected as Patek Philippe, Omega, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron and Constantin, A. Lange & Sohne, Jaeger, Le Coultre, Zenith, Breitling, Movado and of course Rolex Watches) from Western Europe. The very real negative side of this is that if a part is missing or broken from a pre-1900 era pocket watch or clock, finding a replacement part can be, based on experience, 100 times harder to make happen. Frequently parts have to be hand-made in this instances, and with a dwindling population, across the world, of watchsmiths and clocksmiths who are capable of doing so. European timepieces are another world for collectors, and a diverse one at that. But the world of European Clocks and European Pocket Watches is well worth getting to know. There is a LOT to learn in this fascinating world!

circa 1890 Winterhalder Hoffmeir 9 Gong Musical Bracket Clock … from still early stages of more standardized clockmaking and watchmaking