Clock type · Domestic
Bracket Alarm Clocks
Partially verifiedEnglish-tradition bracket clocks fitted with an alarm mechanism in addition to timekeeping (and often striking), allowing the owner to set a bell to sound at a chosen hour, continuing a domestic-clock alarm tradition that predates the wristwatch alarm by more than two centuries.
Movement & mechanism
- A separate alarm train, wound independently and released by a disc set against the dial to the desired hour
- Alarm typically sounds on the same bell used for striking, or on a smaller dedicated bell
- Otherwise follows standard bracket clock construction: fusee-and-chain or going-barrel drive with verge or anchor escapement, depending on period
Identification
- A rotatable alarm-setting disc, usually in the centre of the dial or as a small subsidiary dial
- A visible or documented separate alarm train on inspection of the movement
Terminology
- Alarm disc — the rotating disc, set against a fixed pointer, used to choose the alarm time
- Alarm train — the separate spring or weight train dedicated to sounding the alarm
Known variations
- Alarm-only bracket timepiece
- Combined striking-and-alarm bracket clock
Collecting notes
Bracket alarm clocks are collected within the broader bracket clock field; the added alarm complication and its completeness (disc, spring and hammer intact and functional) is a specific point of inspection distinguishing them from plain striking bracket clocks.
Photographs
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Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.