Chelsea Ship's Bell clock on modern mahogany mantle mount
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
20th century
This 20th-century marine-style mantel clock by the Chelsea Clock Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, features a 6-inch silvered dial with black Arabic numerals and markings.
Housed in a brass casement with a screw-off face, the overall diameter measures 7 1/4 inches (18.4 cm). The dial is signed 'Chelsea/Ship's Bell' below the center and is fitted with dual winding arbors for the movement and the ship's strike mechanism, alongside a regulating slot near the 9 to 10 o'clock position. The clock is presented mounted on a modern dark-stained mahogany mantel base.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Ship's bell clock
- Maker
- Chelsea Clock Co., Boston, Mass.
- Mount
- Modern mahogany mantle mounts
- Casement
- Brass casement and screw off face
- Dial Size
- 6 inches
- Place recorded
- United States
- Dial Inscription
- Chelsea/Ship's Bell
- Overall Diameter
- 7-1/4 in. (18.4 cm.)
- Maker / attribution
- Chelsea Clock Co.
Design
- Visible features
- • Polished brass cylindrical drum case mounted on a dark stepped mahogany plinth with an arched profile. • Silvered dial with two winding apertures situated around the lower dial face. • Fast/Slow regulation slot visible near the 9 to 10 numeral position. • Black hands with pierced spade and poire forms indicating minutes and hours against an outer railway chapter track.
- Object Identity and Origin
- The auction source describes this clock as a Chelsea "Ship's Bell" timepiece from "Chelsea Clock Co., Boston, Mass.", attributed to the "20th century." It has an overall diameter catalogued at "7-1/4 in. (18.4 cm.) overall diameter." The clock is catalogued as "Set in modern mahogany mantle mounts." The base provides a freestanding mount for the cylindrical brass drum clock.
- Case Construction and Presentation
- The casing is described in the auction text as having a "brass casement and screw off face." Direct visual observation records a polished brass cylindrical drum case mounted on a dark stepped mahogany plinth with an arched profile. The stepped wooden plinth functions as an auxiliary mount, as noted in the listing's description of "modern mahogany mantle mounts."
- Dial Configuration and Winding Mechanism
- The clock features a "6–inch silvered dial" with "black Arabic numerals and markings" and is signed "Chelsea/Ship's Bell" below the center. Observations note black hands with pierced spade and poire forms, an outer railway chapter track, and a Fast/Slow regulation slot visible near the 9 to 10 numeral position. The dial is equipped with "movement and ship strike key winds," visible as two winding apertures situated around the lower dial face.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Internal movement specifications and serial numbers are not recorded or visible.
- Research required: The modern mahogany mantel mount is an auxiliary base rather than an original component of the brass marine casement.