Vintage Banjo Clock. The timepiece says Made in Germany, but the labels throughout indicate it came from the Colonial Manufacturing Co. of Zeeland, Michigan.
Condition: We cannot guarantee the working condition of any timepiece.
Size: 35 x 11 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.
The banjo clock, or banjo timepiece, is an American wall clock with a banjo-shaped case. It was invented by Simon Willard, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts, later of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and patented in 1802. The banjo clock normally lacks a striking mechanism and indicates time only by its hands and dial, for which reason some horologists may insist upon calling it a timepiece rather than a true clock. In popular usage, though, no such distinction is made. Only around 4,000 original Simon Willard clocks were made, and later companies like Seth Thomas popularized the style, which was not as beloved within its inventor’s own lifetime. Today they are still made, though primarily overseas and as novelties, rather than for their timekeeping abilities. Variants such as the sawband clock have also become popular as the style shifted from its standard early Federalist trappings into more modern designs.
We cannot guarantee the working condition of any timepiece.
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