Seth Thomas Lobby wall clock. 30-day - 18 inch dial. UU-101.
This is a very difficult model to find. It is cataloged as the “18-inch Lobby” and was made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company circa 1909. This example is a timepiece and does not strike. The additional winding arbor on the dial is to wind an additional time spring. As a result, this clock will run 30 days before it needs to be rewound. Therefore, you can hang it high with the intention of winding it only twelve times a year compared to an eight-day clock, which would require 52 windings over the same period.
This fine example is cased in golden oak and retains an older finish. This model features several architectural features, like a gallery top fitted with turned wooden finials and a large carved radiant located in the center. This radiant theme is repeated on the door surrounding the dial. At the bottom of the case is a drop pedestal or gallery. The painted zinc dial measures 18 inches in diameter. It features Roman hour numerals, subsidiary seconds dial, and the Maker’s name. The movement is a double-spring time-only design. It is designed to run for thirty days on a full wind. The movement is brass, features a Graham Deadbeat Escapement, and is secured to an iron bracket mounted to the back of the case. The pendulum hangs from this bracket, and the wooden rod supports a brass-covered bob.
This clock was made circa 1909 and originally sold for $35.00.
The case is approximately 38 inches long and 25 inches wide.
Inventory number UU-101.
Seth Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner and worked building houses and barns. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry. Thomas formed a clock-making partnership in Plymouth, Connecticut, with Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley as Terry, Thomas & Hoadley. In 1810, he bought Terry's clock business, making tall clocks with wooden movements. Seth chose to sell his shares in the partnership in 1812, moving in 1813 to Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, where he set up a factory to make metal-movement clocks. In 1817, he added shelf and mantel clocks. By the mid-1840s, He successfully transitioned to brass movements and expanded his operations by building a brass rolling mill and a cotton factory. In 1853, He incorporated the business but continued to be the majority shareholder. This clock business expanded until it became one of the "BIG Seven" in Connecticut. Their product line had offerings that competed at every price point, from kitchen clocks to precision regulators. Seth Thomas died in 1859. The community of Plymouth Hollow so revered him that they changed the name on July 6, 1875, to Thomaston in his honor. After his death, his son, Aaron, took over the company's leadership. Aaron is credited with increasing the business by adding a number of new case styles and improving production methods. The company went out of business in the 1980s.
