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History of Smiths car clocks: veteran and vintage car clocks
Smiths car clocks were used on a wide range veteran and vintage British automobiles and were imported around the world. These highly regarded clocks were produced by a company that had its origins in a jeweller's shop opened in or about 1851 by Samuel Smith at Newington Causeway. This jeweller's business included the making and selling of clocks and watches. In 1899 Samuel Smith's son and successor formed a private company, S. Smith & Son Ltd., and transferred his business to it. This new company supplied "motor watches" for the earliest cars and in 1904 produced its first speedometer.
1902 advertisement for a Smith and Sons motor watch:
In addition to the early motor clocks and speedometers the company also produced a range of other parts and accessories for automobiles including carburettors, acetylene lamps, generators and early electric lighting sets. In July, 1914, a new public company was incorporated, under the name S. Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd., to take over the motor accessory business of S. Smith and Son Ltd. The new company had a capital of £100,000 in shares of £1 each, half of which were allotted to the vendor company and the other half issued to the general public. The vendor company continued as jewellers and clock and watch makers until about 1930.
In the first world war the company increased its production of vehicle accessories and also manufactured fuses and aircraft instruments. Additional capital was raised and a factory built at Cricklewood.
In the 1920s Smiths began to aquire an interest in the English Jaeger Company. Jaeger was a manufacturer of clocks, watches, speedometers and other instruments and held exclusive licences to make some of these goods under patents belonging to Etablissements Ed. Jaeger S.A., Paris, an associate company. The two Jaeger companies, the French and the English, were owned by a number of French and Swiss nationals and companies. In 1928 A.B.E.C. Ltd. (All British Escapements Company) was formed to manufacture escapements for Smiths and Jaeger car clocks.
The early Smiths automobile clocks are highly regarded among vintage car enthusiasts and admired for the quality of the movement particularly the rim wind type (also known as bezel wind) of the 1920s and 1930s that are pictured above. We currently have a range of mechanical Smiths vintage car clocks available for purchase including the rim wind clocks produced at the Cricklewood works in the 1920s and 1930s. To view the Smiths clocks that we currently selling you can view the clocks in our
and
If there is a particular type of Smiths mechanical car clock that you are seeking please email us and we will check if it we have it among our current stock.
History of Jaeger Car Clocks
The history of the development of the Jaeger car clocks begins back in 1880 when the great French watchmaker Edmond Jaeger (1858-1922) established his company in Paris. He devoted his life to developing mechanisms for measuring speeds and was a pioneer in the development of chronometers, tachometers and automobile and cockpit clocks.
At the beginning of World War I, Edmond Jaeger collaborated with Jacques-David LeCoultre to develop onboard instruments intended for aviation. The speedometers and tachometers manufactured in the Vallée de Joux soon came to equip most planes in the French, English and U.S. air forces of this period. These instruments were so highly regarded during the first world war that many Germans equipped their planes with Jaeger instruments obtained from downed English and French planes. It is said that one of these instruments was found fitted to the plane of the famous German ace Manfred von Richtofen (the Red Baron) when it was shot down.
At the start of the 1920s, Jaeger and LeCoultre decided to utilise their experience and skill in producing aviation instruments in a new venture involving the production of dashboard instruments for the automobile industry. In addition to producing autotmobile speedometers and tachometers they also began to produce high quality 4 and 8-day automobile clocks. This new venture proved to be remarkably successful with large numbers of automobile instruments produced and exported throughout the European and American automobile markets. To avoid the protectionist measures adopted by the British government, the two entrepreneurs founded a company in London specialising in dashboard instruments, which at one point employed up to 700 people. In parallel, they laid the foundations in Paris for the future Jaeger factories in Levallois, which would host a 1800-strong workforce.
The Jaeger car clocks, speedometers and tachometers have a reputation for reliability and quality and were utilised by many of the greatest names in the automobile industry in 1920s and 1930s including Bamford & Martin (which would later become Aston Martin), Bugatti, Bentley, Delaunay, Rover, Citroën, Renault, Delage and Vauxhaull. All prestigious French cars were equipped with Jaeger dashboard instruments, as were half of all cars being driven in England. Almost all the the racing cars of this period were equipped with Jaeger instruments. We currently have a limited number vintage Jaeger car clocks available for purchase including 4 and 8-day Swiss made Jaeger clocks. To view the Jaeger clocks that we currently selling you can view the clocks in our
and
If there is a particular type of Jaeger mechanical car clock that you are seeking please email us and we will check if it we have it among our current stock.
FUENTE:
Saludos cordiales.
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