Clock type · Domestic
Lighthouse Clocks
Partially verifiedAmerican shelf clocks shaped like a lighthouse, featuring a glass dome at the top.
Movement & mechanism
- Weight-driven movement in a tapered wooden case
- The clock mechanism is at the top under a glass dome
- Invented by Simon Willard
Identification
- Tapered cylindrical or octagonal case
- Glass dome at the top
- Very rare and highly sought after
Terminology
- Willard lighthouse clock
- Patent clock
- Dome clock
Known variations
- Various wood and painted variants
Collecting notes
Condition and originality are paramount. For technical clocks like regulators or atmospheric clocks, the completeness of the original mechanism is more important than case condition. For decorative clocks (Boulle, Empire), the quality of the case craft is central.
Related photographs
No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
- Loomes, B., The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain
- Roberts, D., British Skeleton Clocks
- Museum catalogue records
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.