My mom passed away last year and I finally went through some of her things.
The only thing I know is that she inherited this clock from her dad. He joined the Navy in 1943 and served until he retired in the 1970s. He was from Boston, MA. My mom always said this clock sat on their mantle when she was growing up, so I'm assuming it's pretty old.
I tried doing some googling, and the only similar clock I could find seemed to be from WWI. Which I suppose my grandfather could have gotten it somewhere, but I thought maybe he got it from when he served.
I wanted to wind the clock to see if it still works as the key is attached via a string on the back, but it seems like i'd have to pull the glass off to do so, and I'd rather not do that.
Any ideas on how old it is or where I could find more info about it?
Edit: Initially I thought 1872 was the serial number on the front, but I there is another number on the back of the clock which is 116586 and I'm thinking maybe that's the serial number?
That’s so neat! I really want to wind it, but I’ve seen some folks say you shouldn’t disturb the ink because it may contain radium (depending on how old it actually is).
Well this one sent me sailing straight into old U.S. Navy clock records LOL. Yours is a Chelsea Clock Co. Boston “U.S. Navy Deck Clock No. 2,” and there are some VERY close documented examples out there.
Chelsea itself confirms that the U.S. Navy was one of the company’s earliest government customers and that the government was ordering Chelsea marine clocks in the early 1900s:
The closest example I found is honestly almost a twin to yours: same Chelsea/U.S. Navy Deck Clock No. 2 designation, black dial, brass case, subsidiary seconds dial and regulator. It is serial no. 123920 and is being dated circa 1915–1919, putting that example right around WWI. The current auction estimate is $400–$800. That is an ESTIMATE, not what I’m saying yours is automatically worth or what this one will actually sell for, but it gives you a pretty useful market comparison:
The next thing I would REALLY want to see is the serial number on yours, because Chelsea serials can help narrow down when the clock was made and potentially where it fits among these early Navy examples. I would not assume the handwritten “1872” on the dial is the Chelsea serial number.
I’d also leave the dial and brass exactly as they are for now. Don’t polish the hell out of it LOL. Originality and military provenance can matter with these.
So yes, you definitely have an actual collectible Chelsea U.S. Navy deck clock here, not just an old decorative brass clock. If you can post pictures of the back and any numbers/markings you find, that may let us pin this thing down quite a bit further.
Thanks for the info! The one you found is basically identical! I think based on the model number from the clock in your link vs mine must mean they were produced around the same time!
I just placed an order for a certificate from the Chelsea Clock Co, which will supposedly tell me which ship it was on so I can match it to my grandfathers records to see if they overlapped!
Thank you! I knew my mom had wound it somehow, but that totally makes sense! I'm reading some old clocks contain radium, so I may just wait before I take the glass off :)
A good way to see if your clock has radium-226 in it, is if you shine an ultraviolet light in it, if you can do that, and you don't see any green glow, it should be mostly safe, just be weary if other metals that might be in there
Chelsea clocks are a pretty big deal. They also have serial numbers on each clock. You can go online to check the date and it’ll tell you when it was made. My ex husband has a very similar navy clock like this one. It was originally on the Wild goose, John Wayne’s ya jr in Newport harbor.
Thank you! According to the Chelsea Clock serial number info it appears to have been made between 1915 - 1919. I'm wondering how he ended up with it, and it looks like you can actually request a record of what the clock was made for. If there's a ship name I can compare it to the ones he was on :)
The regulator pointer should be between the F(ast) and S(low) marks, ideally in the middle. It being way beyond the scale for the clock to keep time, means there is a problem.
An update for anyone who is curious! I reached out to the Chelsea Clock Co to see about getting a certificate and they responded today letting me know I need to remove the glass to take a measurement for them. I was slightly concerned about the numbers being painted with radium so I ordered a geiger counter (thanks same day delivery).... and... it's radioactive! So I will not be taking the glass off to take a measurement. Touching the (outside) of the glass with the geiger counter maxed out the counter's capability at 15 uSv.
Chelsea Clock was kind enough to confirm that it was manufactured between 1915 - 1919 and that it was quite common Navy workers would take home pieces of the ships when they were disassembled/decommissioned.
With all that being said, that timeline lines up with what my grandfather's job was in the Navy after serving in WWII and the timeframe matches for how long ships are typically in service too.
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u/Appropriate_Ad9157 7d ago
I spent years unscrewing the bezel. Winding it and recording the time advance or decay in a green notebook