Museum piece
This anniversary clock has a round white dial with black Arabic numerals and dark hands. The brass movement rests on two slender columns above a broad, stepped brass base. Beneath the movement hangs a substantial disc-shaped torsion pendulum with two attached weights. A tall glass dome protects the delicate mechanism while leaving its construction clearly visible.
The mechanical anniversary clock movement uses a slowly oscillating torsion pendulum suspended from a thin suspension spring. Lantern pinions are visible in the gear train. The rear plate bears the German registered-design markings D.R.G.M. 484408 and D.R.G.M. 502714. These rights date from 1895 and 1896 and are attributed to the Badische Uhrenfabrik Furtwangen (BADUF).
The dial reads “Made by the New Haven Clock Co., New Haven, Conn., U.S.A.”, suggesting an American origin. Yet the back of the movement tells a story of German roots: it bears the registered-design numbers D.R.G.M. 484408 and 502714. These rights, dating from 1895 and 1896, are attributed to the Badische Uhrenfabrik in Furtwangen in Germany's Black Forest. The clock therefore combines the name of an American clock company with German clockmaking technology. One plausible explanation is that New Haven sourced the movement in Germany and marketed the clock under its own name; however, the precise purchasing and assembly history of this example has not been documented. Today, this unusual anniversary clock has found a new home in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom.
Manufacturer
New Haven · Connecticut · United States of America
The New Haven Clock Company was founded in 1853 by Hiram Camp in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Initially, the company manufactured clock movements and components for the clockmaking business of his uncle, Chauncey Jerome, an important pioneer of the American clock industry.
Following the financial collapse of the Jerome Manufacturing Company, New Haven acquired its production facilities in 1856 and began manufacturing complete clocks. The company became one of the leading American clock manufacturers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Its products included wall clocks, mantel and table clocks, alarm clocks, and later pocket watches and wristwatches. Its clocks were also sold internationally. At its peak, the factory complex comprised numerous buildings and employed more than a thousand people.
After the Second World War, the company faced increasing economic difficulties. Production ceased in 1956. Parts of the historic factory complex in New Haven survive today and were added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 2017.