I recently obtained this Wm. L. Gilbert Clock Co. kitchen clock with alarm bell. After a bit of bending and oiling, I got it up and running and it's keeping pretty good time. I was wondering if anyone could help me in maybe identifying the makers stamps on it. There is a G/ and 37. Can someone maybe tell me the year date> Also, does anyone have a threaded winding key for the bell that they might be willing to sell. Thanks again!
The clock may be a Gilbert but I was unable to find a match in Tran's book of Gilbert clocks . However, there are some wooden pieces missing I believe on the sides of the case. I don't have any spares but alarm keys can be found. Your cheapest best if no one can offer you one is maybe buy an alarm unit on eBay and use that key. They are virtually all alike. The G is just the Gilbert trademark and the 37 probably indicates the year of manufacture. I am glad you got it running but it could benefit from a good cleaning. If you have not tried you hand at disassembling and cleaning a clock this type of movement is a good one to learn on. DPC
The movement is so marked as is the dial. The case is a pretty sad fragment. So which model? Would be like id’ing what’s left of a corpse by a remaining few teeth. RM
Even forensic pathologists would like a bit more than this. But I wonder whether the corpse might be the remains of a clock formerly in Gilbert's Author sets. Tran Duy Ly's book on Gilbert clocks shows three from the set on page 339 (perhaps there were more?). See below, esp. Pattern No. 161. The damage may be more than is apparent at first glance. Missing side trim, to be sure, but maybe a damaged top, as well. Interesting, too, is the movement with a date of 1937 and apparent steel plates. By 1934 Wm. L. Gilbert Clock Co. was in receivership, and a new company was organized, the William L. Gilbert Clock Corporation. Production of pendulum movements ceased by 1940. This case seems to pre-date the date on the movement by 20-25 years. Did the Gilbert Clock Corp. clear out stock by placing a newer movement in a leftover case? Was a leftover case with movement stamped 1937 and offered for sale? Is there any stamping on the back of the movement? And when did this style of "outboard" alarm go out of use? To me it seems odd in a clock offered in 1937?
Thank you for the insight and clues to my abandoned time keeper/ Nonetheless it came from a 3rd generation owner who was moving and found it in the basement. After much more inspection there does appear to have saw markings on both ends of the top, and the deck has two sets of nail holes, so at one time, it did hav a full set of hardware embellishing it when it was 1st sold.
