standard electric time co, master clock circa 1925
$1,500
The Standard Electric Time Company was founded in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1884 by Charles Warner, a pioneer in the clock-manufacturing field. Warner developed the idea of making clock hands move by electromagnetic force. He first developed a crude model, connected to a battery, later fitting contacts to a simple pendulum clock, leading to the development of the Master Clock.
Warner, in 1893, hired a 19-year-old ambitious young man, George L. Riggs, who was destined to become the sole owner of the company. Riggs purchased the company in 1897 for the sum of $6,000, and was soon on his way to developing a company, known worldwide for its high-quality, precision products. Riggs decided to move his small clock manufacturing company to Springfield in 1911, locating in a small three-story brick building on Logan Street, a stone's throw away from another growing institution, Springfield College.
Standard Electric Time developed its early fame as a manufacturer and installer of electric time systems for public buildings, private industry, schools and other institutions, where time control was essential. The system consisted of a master clock located in a central location. The secondary clocks could be located in any number of rooms, and were all electrically controlled by the master clock. Most of us attended schools employing this system. The master clock was located in, or near, the principal's office, and all classroom clocks were set by the master clock. It was wound electrically, eliminating the need for hand-winding. How often we students looked at the clock on the wall, always placed high enough to be out of the range of those of who might have been tempted to accelerate its progress. The secondary room clocks were not affected by moisture, temperature or vibration, and were foolproof, requiring little or no attention.
This example hung in the Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose, NY for many years. It was sold to Don Dashnau, the physics teacher at the school, in 1979. It hung in the living room of his home from 1980 until 2019.
The clock is spring driven, and the spring is wound periodically by an electric motor. The pendulum has two steel cylinders filled with mercury, designed to compensate for temperature fluctuations. This design is more accurate than a standard wood rod, lead weight pendulum, and had to be specially ordered from the factory. The mercury pendulums are rare and very desirable. This is a large wall clock, just over 5 feet tall and 16" wide.
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