Large Wall Clock

One of the great clock makers in the United States was Simon Willard from Massachusetts (1753 –1848), and to attest this fact is the Simon Willard gallery clock in the West Wing of the White House, and it is well known that Simon Willard and Thomas Jefferson were friends.

To give you a little laugh, in the 1790’s, Simon Willard’s extravagant and exclusive creations were considered expensive at 60 dollars! It said that he priced his clocks expensively enough so as to allow his clients to just barely be able to afford to furnish their homes after buying one of his clocks. And not just anyone could buy. He personally interviewed his potential clients. He was also one of the first to offer a one year guarantee. An odd promise considering his clocks, after more than 200 years, are still ticking.

Although he was famous for his gallery or “banjo” clocks, he is one of the first to scale down the intricate mechanism of the floor model clocks with cabinets into ones that could be hung on walls, which made them less expensive. Don’t laugh too hard.

A magnificent, handmade, large wall clock was 3o dollars.

A couple pieces of clock trivia:

Simon Willard was responsible for all clocks at Harvard College.
His clocks are now valued between $50,000 and $250,000.

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Another famous clockmaker from the 19th century was a German, Gustav Becker, who primarily became famous for his weight driven Regulator wall clocks. His large wall clocks are now priced at anywhere from $500 to $5,000 and up. Although Gustav Becker ended his clock making career with his death in 1885, Junghans Company continued making his signature wall clocks and Lenzkirch, Hamburg American, Clock Company continues in the present day.
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If you are searching for authentic large antique wall clocks you may find help from Mr. Richard Oliver the owner of The Antique Clocks Guy. He may be reached by telephone at 760-604-0262.
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