Museum piece
This slender skeleton clock stands beneath a tall glass dome on a dark granite base. Its exposed brass wheel train is surrounded by a circular white dial ring with black Arabic numerals. Slender brass columns support the movement above the base, with the vertical spring visible between them.
Mechanical skeleton clock with a pendulum and a spring drive transmitted through a chain and fusee. The open construction reveals the movement's wheel train. The clock has no striking mechanism.
The inscription “Wm. Smith – Musselburgh – Maker & Inventor” refers to the historically documented clockmaker William Smith. He is recorded in Musselburgh during the period 1847–1903. As early as 1849, he presented an unusual clock with a long, vertically arranged spring. The design of this example, with its exposed wheel train, slender brass columns and vertical spring, follows that historical concept.
Manufacturer
It is no longer possible to identify the maker of every clock with certainty. Company marks, inscriptions and other clues may have been lost over the decades. Cases and movements were also frequently made by different businesses.
Where clear evidence is lacking, we deliberately refrain from attributing a clock to a particular manufacturer. The clock itself nevertheless remains a witness to its time. Its design, technology and craftsmanship tell part of its history even when its maker is unknown.