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8 Day Clock Movement Identification


Alun

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Hi all...I'm looking for some more kind knowledge from the community.

I've got hold of a nice looking art deco 8 day mantle clock.

It has a Westminster and Whittington chime.

It's made in England and was presented to a man for his long service in 1936.

There's no identity anywhere on the case or the movement (other than Made in England) and I haven't seen one like this before...so is it German or English?

It's nicely made with screws holding the levers rather than pins and a chrome plated rack....but it doesn't feel like it's a clock from a 'top end' manufacturer.

Ideas always welcome ..

Cheers Al

PXL_20240917_104249600.jpg

PXL_20240917_101627258.LONG_EXPOSURE-02.ORIGINAL.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all....I think I've answered my own question...

I believe it's a Walter Petersen clock made in the early 1930s....maybe in Fontenoy, France??

Believe it or not it has 8 hammers and chimes quite a crazy sounding Westminster melody.

It also plays another melody that I've never heard before and I'm going to guess that's the Fontenoy chime.

Cheers 

Al

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Hi Old Hippy, thanks for the reply.... believe me this clock hasn't got a regular four note Westminster chime....the other chime is (let's call it) 'European'.

It has 8 chime rods and it plays all eight in a set of chimes( ie an hour set) with three being the strike.

Any ideas of what tunes were available back then?

 

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54 minutes ago, Alun said:

Any ideas of what tunes were available back then?

Whittington? That's an eight-note one.

Example here - my parents had a very nice grandfather clock that could be set to Westminster or Whittington (though it played it at a but slower pace than in the video).

 

 

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43 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

The only other I can think of is St Michael. 

Could you make the scale and upload it so I can see.

Hi there....you're right about St Michael's. The first chime is definitely that.

I've read on other forums that this movement has a 4 chime bar version that plays 'fontenoy'...

I wanted to upload the tune as an .MP4 but the forum won't let it 🫣

I'll try a count the bars for you, standby.

Btw I'm UK based so I'm really doubtful that it's God Save America 😁

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Ok here goes...

The sequence of the hour chime is as follows...noting the first rod is next to the movement and the strike rods are 7,8,9.

3 6 2 7 4 5 8 5 7 6 2 3 8 2 3 7 6 4 5 8 4 7 6 2 3 5 8 

Then it strikes.

Just for clarity the St Michael's chime works ok so I'm confident the above chime is not out of sequence (I think 😁)

 

Btw....the rods are not in size order either IE shortest to longest or vice versa.PXL_20241002_1601282072.thumb.jpg.5ec420c77fbe0c4afe770cb7c8951976.jpg

Edited by Alun
Forgot words
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