Seth Thomas Clocks History

Seth Thomas

• Seth Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He became an expert carpenter. At 22 years old, he went to work for clockmaker Eli Terry in Northbury, Connecticut. He took to the art of clockmaking and prospered, so much so that in 1810 he bought out Terry's factory with a partner. Three years later he bought out another clockmaking business in Plymouth Hollow and relocated. He began making clocks under the Seth Thomas name, priding himself on the quality of his work. Seth Thomas clocks soon became known all over the country for their quality and high level of craftsmanship. Initially, Thomas continued to make tall wall clocks with wooden movements and swinging pendulums, but in 1817 he shifted focus to wooden movement shelf clocks housed in pillar and scroll cases. In 1842 brass movements were introduced and by 1845 wooden movements were phased out completely.

The Seth Thomas Clock Company

• In 1853 Seth Thomas incorporated the Seth Thomas Clock Company "so that the business would outlive him," according to ClockHistory.com. Thomas died six years later, and the town of Plymouth Hollow was renamed Thomaston in his honor. After Thomas' death many new styles of clocks were launched by the company he had founded, based on patterns and machinery purchased in 1859 from the creditors of Silas B. Terry, another clockmaker, who had gone bankrupt. Spring-driven clocks were introduced by Seth Thomas in the 1860s; three years later the company also began making perpetual calendar clocks. Subsequent models included walnut kitchen clocks, marble clocks, black wood mantel clocks and chime clocks, the latter introduced in 1909. Electric clocks were developed in the 1920s, and Seth Thomas them introduced in 1928. One of the most famous clocks in the world, the four-faced clock in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, was made by Seth Thomas.

Decline

• In 1930 the Seth Thomas Clock Company merged with the Western Clock Company under the auspices of a holding company, General Time Instruments. The new company continued to produce fine clocks, but the luster of the Seth Thomas marquee was somewhat dimmed. The Seth Thomas factory was badly damaged by a flood in 1955. Movement manufacturing was subsequently phased out, with the company instead importing movements from Germany. In 1968, General Time was bought out by Talley Industries; 11 years later the headquarters was moved to Norcross, Georgia.

Modern Times

• General Time went out of business in 2001. The Colibri Group acquired Seth Thomas, while the company's collection of historical records, drawings, photos, documents and other items was acquired by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. The Colibri Group went into receivership in January 2009 and laid off all of its 280 employees, but in March a company called Alliance Time, a distributor of brand name and designer jewelry, watches and accessories and based in New York, bought the Colibri Group assets and announced its intent to resume production.

The Collectors Market

• Seth Thomas clocks are highly prized by collectors. Clocks produced between 1881 and 1918 are easily identified by a date code stamped in ink on the back or bottom of the case. The year is printed in reverse, followed by a letter code for the month; for example, March 1885 would appear as 5881 C. Nearly 1,000 Seth Thomas clocks are up for bid at any one time, on the online auction site eBay. In August 2009 Victorian-era regulator wall clocks from Seth Thomas generally sold for $2,000 to $6,000; Seth Thomas electric mantel clocks from the 1930s and 1940s sold for as little as $30.