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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Thomaston, Connecticut, United States

Seth Thomas Clock Company

Verified

Connecticut shelf, wall, marine and tower clocks; later watches

History

One of the defining Connecticut clock factories, Seth Thomas produced enormous numbers of shelf and wall clocks for the domestic and export market, together with marine movements and, for a period, pocket watches.

Major innovations

  • Large-scale factory production of affordable brass clock movements

Known markings

  • 'Seth Thomas Clock Co.'
  • Date codes on movement plates
  • Paper labels inside cases

Serial numbers

Many movements carry date codes stamped on the plates rather than serial numbers; code interpretation is published in collector literature.

Collecting significance

Case condition, original label and untouched dial matter more than movement rarity in most of the output.

Photographs

Wooden movement from Seth Thomas longcase clock
Wooden movement from Seth Thomas longcase clock — Mfc programmer, CC0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Seth Thomas Clock Company plate
Seth Thomas Clock Company plate — Ktr101, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Mauston Wisconsin's Boorman House Seth Thomas Clock
Mauston Wisconsin's Boorman House Seth Thomas Clock — Sixa369, CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. Connecticut clock industry histories
  2. NAWCC references on Seth Thomas movement date codes

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.