1957 Commemorative Sea Chime Wheel Ship's Bell Bronze and Mahogany Mantel Clock. A beautiful stylized clock with 8 spokes around the wheel, which can be removed so the face can be accessed beneath the glass cover. The face is numbered 1 through 12 with a minute and hour hand, with a moveable gauge that reads "S" to "F," two key slots, and the words "Sea-Chime" and "Swiss." A plaque affixed to the rectangular mahogany base directly below the wheel reads "Presented to PTL. Edward Pisano N.Y.C.P.D. by Members of Harbor PCT. On Retirement 3-12-57." Round plate on back sealed with screws to protect the interior mechanisms.  

Condition: Scuffs on the back and loss to the gilding on the brass base plate. The movement and chime work, but there is no key. 

Size: 8 x 4 x 8 1/2 in. 

The Ship’s Bell clock was first patented by the Chelsea Clock Company of Massachusetts in 1898, utilizing a movement which the company named “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.” By the middle of the 20th Century, Chelsea was the only American company still making Ship’s Bell clocks, with a handful produced outside the country by Helveco, a Swiss clockmaker that produced luxury timepieces for companies like Imhof and L'Épée in highly collectible shapes like seashells and nautical wheels. Today, the Ship’s Bell movement is one of the last remaining mechanical movements still produced in the United States, as nearly all others were abandoned once the quartz movement was introduced. 

Scuffs on the back and loss to the gilding on the brass base plate. The movement and chime work, but there is no key. 

All items are sold AS IS. Lot and condition details are for descriptive purposes only. Sarasota Estate Auction is not responsible for errors and/or omissions of condition. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is perfect or free from wear, flaws, or characteristics of age. Please bid according to your own expertise, or request any additional information and/or photographs you deem necessary.