Mantel Clock by Ingersoll-Waterbury

Ingersoll-Waterbury mantel clock

 I picked up this Ingersoll-Waterbury two-train mantel clock this week The seller probably did not pay much for it, nor did I.

The clock says that it was made in Canada but as is typical of clocks sold in Canada before and during the Second World War the movements were made in the US, assembled and shipped to Canada to be installed in cases that were sold as "made in Canada". This, I presume, was to avoid import tariff's. Other clock companies like Seth Thomas did exactly that. As far as I know from my research, the only clock company that made the movements and built their own cases was Arthur Pequegnat. It is no wonder that Pequegnat clocks command much higher prices today. A similar two train Arthur Pequegnat mantel clock would typically sell for about $450.00CDN.

Two train movement, time and strike with coiled gong

 Back to the Ingersoll-Waterbury mantel clock. It was built in 1943 (the movement was probably made before 1941, however - see below) and reflects the style of the period.

It has a pendulum and standard escarpment. There is a small hole in the front for adjusting the speed of the clock but the key does not fit the hole leading me to believe that the key is not original. A winding key usually has a little box wrench on the other end for adjusting the speed.

I have other keys that might just fit. I have been bench-testing the clock for 12 hours now and it appears to be gaining about 5 minutes during that time. Curiously the label says  that the pendulum is adjustable (it is not) but after looking at the label a second time I realized that it is likely the same label they put on a wide variety of clocks to save on printing costs.

Swinging front panel

 The swinging front panel door is something I have not seen before and unique. Seems that after a lot of opening and closing the hinges would loosen and guess what, they were loose.

Original hands or added later?

Upon first inspection I thought that the hands were not original. They look like something from an older era. Closer inspection as well as a search on the net reveals that indeed they are original. The hands on mine look like they have been repainted but the original colour was not that different. I think the paint simply fell off. In another clock I saw during my net search the hands were all white whereas on mine the tips are black. As well as winding the clock each week the owner would also adjust the time, hence the wear and tear on the paint. I plan to address that later today.

The case is in decent shape. The veneers on either side of the back panel are splitting but a clamp and carpenter's glue will fix that. Typically in clocks of this age there are pieces missing from the veneer, after all the manufacturer did not go to any great expense to build these things.

A little history. In 1922, the Waterbury Clock Company purchased the Ingersoll operation whose business had begun to decline after 1910 and had gone bankrupt two years previously due to poor management. Waterbury's operation was particularly hard hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s.

By 1932, their huge factory complex was almost idle. They avoided bankruptcy, but the firm was reorganized as the Ingersoll-Waterbury Company with investors raising half a million dollars in new capital. During this period the popular "Mickey Mouse" character watch was made and electric clocks were added to the line thereby reviving the company.

After America entered World War II, the Ingersoll-Waterbury Company switched almost 100% to manufacturing war products. In 1942, the operation was purchased by a group of Norwegian investors and a new factory was built at Middlebury, CT. In 1944, the firm became known as United States Time Corporation and introduced the popular "Timex" watch shortly after the war. In November, 1969, U.S. Time was succeeded by Timex Corporation, which continues business at Middlebury, CT. to this day. Ingersoll-Waterbury are therefore known more for their watch production than the production of clocks.

The Waterbury name has been around since 1857, however.

I hereby present my newly acquired Ingersoll-Waterbury time and strike mantel clock.