Dating back to the early 1900s, when Chelsea first began making the Ship’s Bell, detailed records have been kept of each Ship’s Bell Clock ever produced by the company. Each Ship’s Bell Clock is individually numbered and then registered prior to leaving the factory. The model numbers are stored within a library of log books, which include not only when the Ship’s Bell Clock was made and who it was sold to, but also holds records of any service work we may have performed on the timepiece. This unchanged, century old process, is an example of how Chelsea Clock has been able to guarantee consistent quality and service for over 100 years.

Often a Chelsea Clock is handed down through generations and the inheritor is curious about the clock’s history, or a collector of antiques comes across a Chelsea Clock at an auction and is anxious to determine its age to estimate its value*. Chelsea Clock offers a Certificate of Origin for any Ship’s Bell Clock ever produced by the company.   Each certificate is embossed with a Chelsea Clock stamp of approval and is hand signed by JK Nicholas, President and CEO.

Are you curious to know when your clock shipped from our factory?  If you post a picture of your clock with your serial number on the Chelsea Clock Facebook page we will send you a free Certificate of Origin, a $35 value.  This offer is valid through October 31, 2011 and the oldest clock posted will receive a $250 repair gift certificate to be used on your next repair order at Chelsea Clock.  Post a photo of your favorite clock today.

* Note: Chelsea Clock does not provide clock appraisal services

The Ship’s Bell Clock is a Chelsea Clock classic. First patented in 1898, the movement of the clock is what the Company calls a “4L”, which includes a distinguished chime coordinated with a mariner’s bell code for keeping watch at sea. Alerting mariners to time during their “watch” by employing the unique Ship’s Bell chime earned the Company the name “Timekeepers of the Sea.”

“The patents have been carried over from generation to generation,” said Dan Der Marderosian, Manager of Engineering Services. The Ship’s Bell movement at Chelsea Clock is one of the last remaining mechanical movements still produced in the United States. There was a time in the mid 1900s when the American clock industry included many companies crafting such timepieces, many of them right here in New England. Slowly these companies went out of business – as with many handcrafted trades they could not compete with the rising costs of labor, the rise of industrial manufacturing, and specifically in the clock industry, the introduction of the quartz movement.

Early 1900s Drawing - First Ship's Bell Mechanism

Der Marderosian comes from the automotive engineering field which focuses on high volume manufacturing and computer aided design — a stark contrast to Chelsea Clock’s craftsmanship that has been passed down to each new member of the team through hand drawn designs. “From a Mechanical Engineer’s perspective the precision, gears, pinions, and levers were quite interesting to me,” said Der Marderosian.

Dan Der Marderosian Manager, Engineering Services at Chelsea Clock

He spoke of the detail that goes into a mechanical clock especially one with a striking mechanism that the Ship’s Bell Clock is revered for and the intricacies involved with the bells striking on a cycle. Before the computer age, Chelsea Clock draftsmen would construct hand drawn blueprints of the clock’s internal jewels and pieces. They articulated with the aid of the pencil how those pieces coincided for the clock’s precise motion. Those drawings are still used today as the basis of the internal architecture of the Ship’s Bell Clock. The draftsmen were yesterday’s engineers, and today Chelsea Clock has preserved their work along with the original patents to craft the Ship’s Bell Clock.

Just as the Ship’s Bell Clock is viewed as a family’s legacy being passed down from generation to generation; Der Marderosian is one of the people at Chelsea that has “inherited” the clock’s historical mechanical movement and the original drawings. He is currently seeped in analysis, lining clocks up along the edge of his desk to methodically calculate and record the complexities of each piece. His practice will ensure the designs and theory carved out by previous Chelsea Clock makers will endure for ages. “The Ship’s Bell Clock – we inherited it. And I am examining it from a technical and engineering standpoint so that main design is maintained and understood by others in the Company.”

With 360 plus gold plated parts, and the assembly of each done by hand, some of the knowledge behind the designs was passed on verbally and the art work of each individual draftsman was drawn with that in mind. Der Marderosian and his team are reviewing the previous works of each draftsman, some over 100 years old. Their efforts will ensure that the knowledge and craftsmanship behind Chelsea Clock’s flagship timepiece will be preserved for the next 100 years to come.

Imperfections. Like an old pair of jeans some products are made more lovable by their flaws that tell of the ages it endured from its inception to the last omega of life; however, a Chelsea Clock is different. A Chelsea Clock is made to reach beyond and overcome human errors, to outlast and to endure. A Chelsea Clock is conceived with the notion that excellence can be achieved through time. Each clock is constructed with zero tolerance towards imperfections. That ideal is mirrored in the process of forging.

At the Factory - Forgings Waiting to Be Polished

“Forging lasts forever because it creates a brass that is durable, thick and can be finely refinished. And more importantly there are no imperfections,” said one of the company’s most knowledgeable executives, Vice President of Supply Chain and Materials Management Bruce Mauch. Mauch explained that where some competitors skimp on quality and durability, drawing clocks from sheet brass, Chelsea Clocks turns solid pieces of brass into the shapes of the world’s most impeccable keepers of time.

Throughout his almost 30 years with the company he has worked on several lines including manufacturing and engineering. It is the acknowledgment that he receives from the passerby that reaffirms the distinct craftsmanship of the clocks that serves as the source of his pride for the company and its product.

A Technician Expertly Polishing a Forged Brass Case

“When I tell people that I work for Chelsea Clocks and they say ‘Oh I love your clocks, I have one’ that response and to be part of the production of a great product gives me a lot of pride,” he said. He explained that forging is the reason why people have come to expect their clocks to live for generations. It was during the late 1950’s and 1960’s that the company opted to forge the brass instead of using the simpler method of casting. Only the 8.5” clocks were ceased for about 10 years during the 1980’s as the technology did not exist for it to be created from the forging method. Mauch explained that although casting still constructed a durable clock, forging eliminated the small flaws.

“In the old days clock cases were created a using a mold or cavity,” he said. Heated brass in liquid form was poured into the cavity to form the clock’s case. That old method of casting caused pockets of air in the form of pinholes, or what seasoned clock makers call porosity. The ‘dimples’ in the product is where there is no metal, so although one could just “stick the cavity on the stand and make a mold,” the quality suffered he said. The method of forging instead begins with solid brass that is heated up to a malleable state. It is then placed in a metal die that imparts its desired shape. Then under extreme pressure the brass is smoothly and evenly converted to a clock case. A 1,500 ton steel press “hits the die and forces the metal to flow.” Mauch said one can visualize it as piece of clay being forced into a shaped cavity by a heavy weight. The result is a solid, evenly dense heavy brass with an unparalleled smoothness throughout. That also contributes to the quality of a clocks sound, such as the Ships Bell Clock’s distinct bell tone.

Here at Chelsea Clock Company in Chelsea Massachusetts, we have been designing, manufacturing and procuring solid brass, handmade, top quality clocks since 1897.  We take a lot of pride in our work and we know our clock owners take a lot of pride in their clocks.

Around here, we have a lot of stories.  Clocks and the people who make clocks, repair and restore clocks, and own clocks.  Every day we hear another story from a customer about what their clock means to them.  And some days the clocks themselves, that come into our factory for repair, tell us stories about where they’ve been – just based on the condition they are in and the restoration touches they require.

We are starting this blog to tell you some of these stories.  So you can get a feel for the place these clocks come from and the people here who make them by hand in a long tradition of nautical clock makers.  Over the years we have developed new technology, designs, and processes, but the quality remains.  And the fact that our clocks continue to work for hundreds of years doesn’t change either.

We are also starting this blog to give you pointers – on how to care for your clock, how to consider clock purchases, what to look for and expect of a quality clock.

We hope you’ll find the blog useful and informative.  And we hope you will let us know what you think!  Anytime you have a question or comment, you can write to us stories@chelseaclock.com or Chelsea Clock Blog, 284 Everett Avenue, Chelsea, MA 02150-1598.

Shown Left: Boston Clock, Circa late 1800′s made by Chelsea Clock Company’s predecessor, Boston Clock Company which operated from 1884-1894..

This rare clock (1 of only 3 known to currently exist in this size) was originally named the “Locomotive” for its use in trains in the late 1800’s.