Antique car clock.

[KarlvonKoln]

Nothing very fancy, but something I thought was interesting, being also fascinated with antique automobiles.  A while back, I was privileged to work on a friend's Westclox car clock that he'd kept from his father-in-law's 1927 or '28 Ford Model A.  It was an optional accessory designed to be mounted wherever in the car that the purchaser desired.  You drill the holes yourself.  It runs for maybe 12 hours tops, so you need to wind it before you go.  The movement is a pretty basic pin lever and going barrel.  

When I opened it to clean it, I was hit with the unmistakable smell of vintage Lucky Strikes.  My friend confirmed that his father-in-law had indeed been quite the smoker.  He himself did not partake.  As long as I live I will always know the smell of Luckys.  My grandfather chain-smoked them until he died of emphysema at 63.  This poor little clock had the yellowish-brown grime of ages of smoke all throughout the movement.  So much cleaning.  Black tar in little corners and crevices. I also wore gloves and mask because the dial had radium. Gad, and the smell dredged up old memories of my grandfather, who also once owned a Model A.  No idea if it had such a clock.  He was a good man, and a good photographer.  Tobacco addiction was less than kind to him.  

The clock, though, pulled through clean and largely unharmed.  It runs strong.  The smell is gone, but some memories remain, good ones that I'd almost forgotten, in my effort to forget how my grandpa's house always reeked of Luckys.

[vinn3]

good show.   there ar a lot of "panel clocks"  posts on this forum.  check the gallery.  vin

[oldhippy]

Not sure of the size of that movement. It looks very similar to the old 30 hour Smiths & Ingersoll pocket watches.

[KarlvonKoln]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

Not sure of the size of that movement. It looks very similar to the old 30 hour Smiths & Ingersoll pocket watches.

It's a little bigger.  About 65 to 70 mm if I remembered right.  It's built like a downsized travel clock.  And it's more accurate than I'd have figured.  Since most folks would only wind and set it before going on a trip, you probably won't notice a difference of about 30 sec. to a min. per day depending on temperature and road conditions. 

[watchweasol]

.  I think keeping these old clocks is a duty, as with so many of them they carry memories and for that reason alone they need to be resurected.  Thats a nice job sympatheticaly done.     

[vinn3]

good show,  i don't think it is from the ford factory,   they had a clock built into the mirror,  wound buy a pull chain.    vin