Why Won't Anybody Fix My Telechron or Revere Clock? By Silverdollar Productions, Inc: The unfortunate reality is, most clockmakers do not want to service or sell Electric Telechron, General Electric, or Revere Clocks. So now what?
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - The collectable-gap between antique key-wind clocks and electric clocks has always been enormous. It has always been felt that any clock needing to be plugged in just wasn’t worth collecting because they had no value. As early as 10-years ago, this held true. But as of late, more, new collectors are finding the true beauty and elegance of technology in electric clocks. In addition, new generations are finding dusty clocks in the attic that belonged to family members, long passed on. The sound, appearance, or chimes from these clocks bring back many happy childhood memories. The problem, though, is why won’t anybody fix them?
Clockmakers willing to work on electrical clocks are becoming more and more hard to find. Most that will want the equivalent of 4-weeks pay and 6-months to a year to complete. Are they really that difficult? The answer is “NO”. Compared to key-wind clocks, electrical movements are easier to work on. It’s the replacement parts that most clockmakers just don’t have, or don’t want to be bothered with trying to find.
Why consider the purchase of a vintage electric clock? The field of collecting electrical clocks is becoming more popular, and will continue to grow as prices of older key-winds continue to increase. Electric clocks for production started to develop as early as 1915. But electricity was still a luxury many Americans did not have. Therefore, early clocks were made of the finest materials, and targeted toward the well-to-do. It was not unusual in 1929 to pay as much as $100 for an electric clock, when key-winds could be bought for $20. Many electric clocks were basically the same movements as key-winds. They were re-tooled to eliminate the winding springs, and replace them with electric motors. It wasn’t until the early 1930’s that most of the famous American Clockmakers began developing individual electric movements and mass-producing clocks for retail. The glorious era of electric clocks spanned from about 1925 to 1960.
The quality of both the movements and case construction is something that is rarely duplicated today. The versatility of designs allowed manufactures to more greatly reflect the styles of the eras. This could be the “Art Deco” look of the 1930’s right through that late 1950’s “Futuristic/chrome” period many of us remember. Sadly, there are no more American Clock Manufactures in existence. Even the famous Seth Thomas name is now owned by a German Company, and uses all German Made parts.
We at Silverdollar Productions combine 40-years of woodworking and clock making skills to help preserve these wonderful, old timepieces. We stock a very affordable line of reconditioned or restored electric clocks. In addition, we specialize and offer affordable reconditioning services for Telechron, General Electric, and Revere Westminsters.
We have been expanding our informational website to assist collectors in this growing field. Whether you are a die-hard collector or just somebody interested in getting grand-pa’s Revere running, we invite you to stop by and learn more.
