Summary:

• Item: Railway / School Wall Clock
• Circa: 1930
• 16” external diameter
• English Smiths Enfield double barrel brass spring mechanism
• Chiming / Striker mechanism
• French polished mahogany case
• “Deep dish” case design
• Brass Levelling lugs & pins
• Side viewing door
• Black Arabic (numbered) tin dial
• Pendulum access door
• Brass bezel
• Elegant shaped hands
• Ivory colour tin dial
• Winding key
• Detachable adjustable pendulum
• Restored & serviced
• 2 Year UK warranty included
• Free delivery to England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• Free 14-day UK returns policy

Description:

This is a good quality antique 16″ mahogany Smiths Enfield wall clock, designed for use as municipal / railway / station clock, housing an English Smiths Enfield chiming mechanism, circa 1930, with a mahogany case, which has been lovingly restored to its former glory and is now in good working order.

This 16″ mahogany Smiths Enfield wall clock houses a quality English Smiths Enfield double brass barrel spring driven chiming mechanism.  During this time, the Smith’s company was exporting English mechanisms to the British colonies, where they were cased locally.  The Anglo Swiss clock company was a prominent clock maker, retailer and jeweler in Calcutta, colonial India, during the early 20^th Century.  Established in 1909, they produced a large number of reliable and good quality timepieces, supplying both the domestic market and the British Empire.  The home offices and factory of the company were at Quartier de I’lndustric, Soleure, Switzerland.  (Source: Bengal and Assam, Behar and Orissa. Their History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources – Compiled by Somerset Playne FRGS, assisted by J.W. Bond. Edited by Arnold Wright – 1917).

This station wall clock boasts a beautiful mahogany case, with a moulded brass bezel, a pendulum access door on the underside and a mechanism-viewing door on the left-hand side that allows you to view the mechanism whilst in operation.  The mahogany case has been cleaned and French polished by hand, to revive the wonderful colour and patination of the grain in the timber.  This clock features a “deep dish” case design which means that case is of better quality and is slightly deeper in depth than the 16” clocks.  On the back of the clock is a bracket to attach the clock to the wall.

This 16″ mahogany Smiths Enfield wall clock chimes once on the half hour and also every hour to the number of hours.  The left-hand hole in the dial face is to wind up the clock movement and the right-hand hole is to wind up the chiming movement. This design gives you the option of either having the chiming mechanism enabled or disabled; allowing you to choose whether you want the chiming noise to be heard.

The movement has been restored and serviced and is now in good mechanical order, ensuring this clock is reliable and keeps good time. The pendulum length, which is attached to the mechanism by accessing the clock from the door below, can be adjusted to allow you to regulate the speed of the clock.  The clock comes with a key, which is used to wind the mechanism through the centre of the face dial.

The 16″ mahogany Smiths Enfield wall clock face incorporates an ivory colour tin dial with black Arabic numerals and an elegant shaped hour and minute hand.  A hinged solid brass bezel houses the glass face that protects the tin dial and face whilst in operation.  The brass bezel opens on a right-hand hinge to allow you to adjust or set the time.  There is a catch to the back of the clock that locks the brass bezel in place and stops it from accidentally swinging open.

This railway wall clock features brass levelling lugs and pins, which are attached to each side of the clock and are designed to give the clock traction against the wall and allow the angle of the case to be adjusted away from the wall if the clock is hung on wall which is not vertically straight, such as in old buildings.

This mahogany station clock looks great in a variety of rooms from and also in either a traditional or contemporary setting. This truly is a very beautiful wall clock of classic styling and quality construction.   It will become a member of the family after not too long!  So don’t miss out your chance to own a lovely clock.

Provenance:

Samuel Smith of London founded the “Smiths” company itself, in 1851 as a clock and watch business.  They soon became one of the largest clock makers in Europe.  From their head office in Cricklewood, North London, they produced clocks for the home, workplace, aircraft and the motor industry.  Smiths also became a dominant supplier of precision instruments to the automotive sector from the early 1900s.  Smith’s clocks could be found everywhere from railway stations to schools, public buildings, the private manufacturing sector such Bentleys to Minis and even Spitfire aircraft.

The Enfield Clock Company (London) Ltd was formed in 1929 at Pretoria Road, Edmonton, London, N18.  The first clocks were sold in 1932.  The clocks were originally sold for wholesale and export to the British Colonies.  They were also selling movements to shops as well as casing them up themselves. In 1933, the Enfield Company was finding it difficult to compete on price so the company was sold to Smiths Industries. This led to the world famous ‘Smiths Enfield’ clocks.

This mahogany wall clock was designed for use in public buildings such as schools or railway stations within the British colonies, predominantly India; therefore, its reliability and quality of construction were paramount.  This mechanism is of good quality and it was constructed prior to wartime restrictions being imposed regarding materials; therefore, no costs were spared in its construction.

Condition Report:

This 16″ mahogany Smiths Enfield wall clock has been sympathetically restored to a high standard and is now in good working order.  Nominal old use marks to the case and tin dial but nothing significant considering the age of the item.  The mahogany case is in good condition.  The mahogany case has cleaned and French polished.  The painted tin dial has been replaced.  The brass-hinged bezel is in good working order, with some movement in the hinge.  The bezel-locking latch is present and working and prevents the bezel from opening. The mechanism has been cleaned and serviced and is in good working order, keeping good time.  As we are confident that you will have no problems with the mechanism, we offer a 2-year UK warranty whereby if there were a mechanical problem with the clock, we would collect it free of charge from you, have it repaired and returned free of charge to you.  We also offer a 14-day UK returns policy if you were not happy with it or wanted to return it for any reason.  Please also note, this clock has the original mechanism; it has not been replaced with a cheaper devaluing electrical battery-operated kit that you see on some clocks.

Setting up the Clock:

The clock may require the pendulum to be adjusted once on the wall. The clock will only work if it is placed on a flat wall in a direct up-right position (not on a side angle). Detailed setup instructions will be included when the clock is delivered.

Dimensions:

External Diameter = 16″
Painted Dial Diameter = 12″
Depth = 5½”

Ref STR533/74373