Seth Thomas was an industrious clockmaker and pioneer of mass production in the United States. He founded the highly successful Seth Thomas Clock Company, which operated for more than 200 years. Over these two centuries, the company created mantle clocks, wall clocks and table clocks that were known for their masterful craftsmanship and on-trend designs.
Thomas was born in 1785 in Wolcott, Connecticut, to Scottish immigrants. At the time, Connecticut was a growing hub of American clockmaking. Though he left school at an early age, Thomas apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner in Plymouth. In the early 1800s, he made his first clock out of laurel wood from the mountains around his home.
In 1807, Thomas partnered with Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley to form a clock company called Terry, Thomas & Hoadley. Over the next three years, the firm produced around 400 wall clocks. In 1813, Thomas sold his share of the company and moved to Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, where he established his clock factory. He gained a reputation for producing beautiful grandfather clocks and tower clocks.
When Thomas died in 1859, his son, Aaron, took over the company. The Seth Thomas Clock Company continued operating successfully for several more decades. In 1913, it produced the four-faced tower clock that still stands in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.
In 1875, Plymouth Hollow was incorporated under the name Thomaston in his honor. The company went out of business in 2009.
Find antique Seth Thomas clocks for sale on 1stDibs.
Vintage German Brass Ship Clock from Philips, 1970s
By Philips
Located in Kojetice, CZ
Vintage ship clock made by Philips in West Germany during the 1970s.It features a brass body frame and clear glass cover. This item has been converted into a battery-powered clockwor...
Brass
Antique Smith 8-Day Shipboard Clock
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A brass circular base with a central inset hinged glass panel that reveals a white metal face with black enameled Roman numerals hours and Arabic numerals seconds. The clock lacks a ...
Brass
$1,000
H 7.25 in W 7.25 in D 3.25 in
Mid Century French Degon Rouen Brass Nautical Maritime Ship Bulkhead Clock 7"
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid Century French Degon Rouen ship's clock. Wall mounted brass case with painted face, Roman numerals, copper hands, fronted with thick glass. Works numbered 6 56 005042. Made in F...
Brass
$950
H 10 in W 8.25 in D 8.25 in
Seth Thomas “Grand Model” Copper & Brass Automatic 8-Day Alarm Clock c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Seth Thomas 'Grand Model' automatic 8-day alarm clock, dating to circa 1920. This handsome mantel clock features a distinctive cylindrical drum case crafted from copper wi...
Copper
Mid-20th Century German Ship's Clock By Schatz
By Schatz
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Mid-20th century ship's clock by Schatz, Germany. handsome brass, mahogany & ebony in the form of a ship's wheel. Bevelled glass set in locking bezel. Double bell strike. Runs 8 days...
Brass
Nautical Clock by Chelsea Clock Co for Bigelow, Kennard & Co
By Bigelow Kennard & Co., Chelsea Clock
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A finely crafted bronze clock in the form of yacht steering wheel made by Chelsea Clock Company, Boston, Massachusetts, having a hinged bezel, si...
Bronze
$1,413Sale Price|23% Off
H 5.12 in Dm 13.39 in
Vintage Industrial Cast Iron Smiths Factory Wall Clock, c.1930
By Smiths English Clock Systems
Located in London, GB
Beautiful example of a cast iron factory wall clock made in England by Smiths. c.1930 Lesser seen than the iconic cast Gents of Leicester clock - made from a single piece of cast ...
Iron
Late 19th Century Smiths Cricklewood Clock
Located in New York, NY
Hand-picked by buyers at Ann-Morris Inc.
Brass
$2,500
H 11.82 in W 7.88 in D 3.94 in
English Nautical Mantel Clock with Barometer and Compass Eight-Day
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
An exceptional and highly decorative English nautical mantel clock, featuring a rare combination of a mechanical clock, barometer, and compass housed within an elegant maritime-inspired design. This unusual piece represents the craftsmanship and engineering associated with traditional nautical instruments and makes a striking addition to any collection of marine antiques...
Bronze
Nautical Clock by Chelsea Clock Co for Bigelow, Kennard & Co
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A finely crafted bronze clock in the form of yacht steering wheel made by Chelsea Clock Company, Boston, Massachusetts, having a hinged bezel, silvered dial with Arabic numerals, eig...
Metal
Chinese Art Deco Carved Mahogany Mantle Clock, circa 1900
Located in Nantucket, MA
Turn of the century Chinese carved mahogany mantle clock, circa 1900, an Art Nouveau to Art Deco transitional style with a period wind-up mechanical cl...
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Tall Case Clock by James Hogg, circa 1820
Located in Nantucket, MA
Early 19th century tall case clock by James Hogg, from village of Gifford near Edinborough, circa 1820, with fine mahogany case, brass fin...
Mahogany
U.S. Navy Steel and Brass Quadrant, First Half of the 20th Century
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique steel and brass quadrant, first half of the 20th century, made in London for the U.S. Navy, in very good condition with lenses, shades and scale. The essential mariner's navi...
Brass, Steel
19th Century French Ormolu Mantle Clock in Orientalist Motif
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century French Ormolu Mantle Clock in "Orientalist" Motif, circa 1850, a romantic movement/Orientalist ormolu clock with ornate baroque case surmounted by an Arabic rider on rearing steed, with sabre drawn overhead, an enamel dial with Roman numerals, bell-strike mechanism by F.L. Hausburg, Paris, and marked on dial "Medaille d'Argent, Vincenti and Cie...
Ormolu
Tall Case Clock
Located in Nantucket, MA
English yew wood tall case clock with narrow proportions.
19th Century French Nautical Musical Automaton, circa 1860
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique French Nautical Automaton, likely from Marseilles, circa 1860, a glass domed diorama with windmills and cottages on hillside, overlooking harbor with ship rocking on waves to a musical tune. The interior of glass dome has a hand painted landscape with trees, village and expansive sky; the diorama features a carved or molded cottage and windmill with figures winding along path down to the water's edge; a paper or papier-mache barque rides on a blue tissue paper sea; a pull-string activated mechanism plays music, rocks the ship on the sea...
Clay, Glass, Paper
