Seth Thomas Short drop regulator

[anurag]

I have come across a Seth Thomas regulator recently. the clock has remnants of the original paper label inside (just refer to a label pic attached, its a similar label), this label type was used around the year 1915.....

though the clocks is located in india the original paper label indicates its an original American make (and not a Japanese copy which were also quite common) ? please comment, also comment on the body and dial and give your valuable inputs..... though I have not seen the movement yet it should have a seth Thomas signature to confirm the American make ? Am I correct in my observations ...please comment....thanks

 

[Brian Smith]

Is your clock about 23-1/2" tall?

 

[shutterbug]

It looks really close to the ones Tran Duy Ly shows in his books, with the exception of the dial. Most of the short drops in his book show the Seth Thomas name UNDER the center of the dial. Still, there are other dials with Arabic numbers that are marked as yours is. I would guess that it's authentic. The movement will probably establish it for sure.

 

[owen.or]

This looks like an original Seth Thomas clock to me. I have seen a number of Seth Thomas short drop school clocks on ebay which appear to have been marketed in India. One example was a clock with Gautha & Co. Madras on the dial. They were importers of clocks and watches in Madras, India according to the listing. David, Owen.or

 

[anurag]

yes...the clock is about 23 inches tall....thanks for the responses...will help to decide whether to acquire it or not.... and I hope it dates to close to the year 1915 ....Also is the polish color shade original.....I have usually seen dark polish shades......thanks

 

[owen.or]

It is possible that the date of manufacture is on the back of the clock. Some Seth Thomas clocks were stenciled with four numbers and a letter. The numbers were the date of manufacture in reverse. For example, 1898 would be stenciled as 8981. The adjacent letter corresponded to the month of manufacture. A=January B=February etc. Does it have the stencil? Could the person in India check for the stencil? David, Owen.or

 

[anurag]

I will check the movement of the clock and will also look for the stencil numbers on the back though chances of finding one are slim, if movement has ST stamp then I plan to purchase the clock, I think that paper label can give us some indication of the year if stenciled numbers are not found.....thanks for the inputs. If I acquire it ,will post pictures of the movement etc.

regards
Anurag samuel

 

[anurag]

I am attaching pictures of movement and inside of the case...the movement is fine and just needs cleaning.... please help in dating the clock....thanks

 

[Rockin Ronnie]

Very nice anurag!

 

[Jim Hartog]

Hello Anurag,

Pages 354 to 357 in Tran Duy Ly's Volume 1, Seth Thomas Clocks and Movements, shows a variety of what are called "Drop Octagon"s in 8, 10 and 12 inch dial varieties. The catalogue dates in the book range from 1879 to 1931. These were obviously popular and made for a long period of time. Your exact clock does not appear in the book but the features of your clock do. Outside hinge on bezel, "Seth Thomas" above the hand hole, time and strike, gold oval in lower glass. Only ST had hinges on the top of the bottom door. The movement in your photos is a 44 and it was used over a wide range of years, too. Unless you can find the reverse date stencil on the back, it will be difficult to date your clock accurately. Sometimes there are dates written on the clock case or back of the dial pan indicating servicing dates but these won't give you a manufacture date. The movement is missing the part of the stop works that goes on the winding arbors.

If it is of any help to you at all, the "Seth Thomas" above the hand hole only appears in the drop octagon clocks from the 1921 catalogue. That may be good enough?

Jim

 

[anurag]

Thanks Jim...you surely have shared a lot of information which is of immense help....yes i think the clock should belong to the 1920's ....the comment on the door hinges...i didn't know that...very interesting...thank you !