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The British Horological Institute Limited

Workshop Hints
Clock & Watch Dating Reference Books etc

There are many reference books and magazine articles that can help in dating clocks either by their makers name or by the serial number of the clock. I have included many here, but as always there are some that I have missed. If you know of any books or articles that should be added to this list, please let me know at webmaster@bhi.co.uk. Please remember that many of these books will be out of print, so getting a second hand copy may be the only way of obtaining the book you require.

Books that list serial numbers

Gustav Becker Story by K Kochmann.

Books that show trademarks

Clock & Watch Trademark Index - European Origin by K Kochmann

Magazine Articles

Dating German mass produced clocks by their patent numbers:-
                 D.K. Stevenson. "German patent letter clues."
                   Part I   -  Clocks Magazine 21/4 (17 April 1998)
                   Part II  -  Clocks Magazine 21/5 (13 May 1998)
                   Part III -  Clocks Magazine 21/6 (12 June 1998).

Books that list maker's names

* Books marked with an '*' are taken from the catalogue published by G K Hadfield and have not been seen by the editor to check their usefulness or recommended personally by others. If you know of any of these books, could you let me know if they are useful for finding historical dates of a maker or not.

Title Author
A Directory of Massachusetts Silversmiths and their Marks Paul J. & Marie-Louise Fredyma
*A list of Irish Watch & Clockmakers G Fennell
*American Clocks and Clockmakers C W Drepperd
*Bath makers White
*Beaminster Clocks & Their Makers Beney
Book of American Clocks and Treasury of American Clocks.  Palmer
*Chester Clocks & Clockmakers (UK) N Moore
*Chester County Clocks & their makers   (USA) A E James
*Chronometer makers of the world Mercer
*Clock & Watchmakers in Wales I C Peate
*Clock & watchmakers of Nottinghamshire Mather
*Clock & Watchmakers of the Old Parish of Halifax 1624-1850 G Dent
*Clock & Watchmakers of Whitechurch Hughes
Clock & Watchmaking in Colchester B Mason
*Clockmakers in North Lancashire & South Westmorland Stuart
*Clockmakers of Hertfordshire E J Tyler
*Clockmakers of Northumberland & Durham Bates
Clockmakers of Sussex E J Tyler
*Clockmakers of Warwick & Leamington (to 1850) W A Seaby
*Clockmaking in Lancaster Region Stuart
*Clockmaking in Oxfordshire 1400-1850 C F C Beeson
*Clockmaking in the vale of Clwyd Parker
*Clockmaking in York, an overview Setchell
*Clockwise around Wales Parker
*Clocks & Clockmakers of Salisbury M Snell
*Connecticut Clockmakers of the Eighteenth Century P R Hoopes
*Cornish Clocks and Clockmakers H M Brown
*Cumberland Penfold
*Devonshire Clockmakers J K Bellchambers
*Dunfermline Clockmakers J & M Norgate & F Hudson
*Early Oxford Clockmakers C F C Beeson
*Benjamin Gray 1676-1764 J Stevens
*Dorset Clocks & Clockmakers with a supplement for the Channel Islands T Tribe & P Whatmoor
Essex Clock & Watchmakers Clive Osborne & James Heaps
Gloucestershire Clock & Watchmakers G Dowler
*Hampshire Makers Norgate
Kent Clocks & Clockmakers Michael Pearson
Lancashire Clocks & Clockmakers B Loomes
Local Clock & Watchmakers (Halifax UK) G Dent
*Jonas barber Clockmaker of Winster B W Cave-Brown-Cave
*Nantwich Clockmakers A A Treherne
*Norfolk & Nantwich Clocks & Clockmakers Bird
Old Clocks & Watches and their makers F J Britten
*Old Manchester Clock & Watchmakers F Buckley
*Old Scottish Clockmakers J Smith
*Old Sterling Clockmakers Allan
*Pennsylvania Clocks and Clockmakers G H Eckhardt
*Scottish Clockmakers (A brief history - up to 1900) F Hudson
*Scottish Directory Whyte
Shropshire Clock and Watchmakers D J Elliott
Somerset Clockmakers J K Bellchambers
*Suffolk Clocks & Clockmakers A L Haggar & L F Miller
*Suffolk Clocks & Clockmakers, supplement A L Haggar & L F Miller
Sussex Clockmakers E J Tyler
*The American Clock W H Dustin & R Bishop
*The Clock & Watchmakers of Buckinghamshire E Legg
*The Clock and Watchmakers of Wigan A J Hawkes
*The Clockmaker from Claypole - Charles Gretton 1648-1731 J C Stevens
*The Clockmakers of Cumberland J B Penfold
The Clockmakers of Hertfordshire E J Tyler
*The Clockmakers of Llanwrst C & M Brown
*The Dictionary of American Clock & Watch Makers K A Sposato
The Heritage Foundation Collection of Silver, with Biographical Sketches of New England Silversmiths, 1625-1825: Henry N. Flynt, & Martha Gandy Fales
*The Making of Clocks & Watches in Leicestershire and Rutland J A Daniels
*The Ogden Family of Clockmakers G Dent
*The Old Clockmakers of Yorkshire N V Dinsdale
*The Paris Family of Warwick 1670-1750 W A Seaby
The Silversmiths, Watchmakers and Jewelers of The State of New York Outside of New York City George Barton Cutten
The Watchmakers of Massachusetts August C Bolino,
*The Whitehurst Family W D White
*Viennese Clock Makers Claterbos
Watch Case makers of England. A History & Register of Gold & Silver Watchcase makers in England: 1720-1920 N.A.W.C.C
Watch and Clockmakers in Ireland W Stuart
Watch Clock & Dialmakers of Birmingham (1547-1900) Joseph McKenna
Watch Clock & Dialmakers of Warwickshire (1436-1900) Joseph McKenna
*Watchmakers and Clockmakers in Russia 1400-1850 V L Chenakal
Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the world Vol. 1 G H Baillie
Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the world Vol. 2 B Loomes
*Watch Factories of America Abbott
*Yorkshire Clockmakers B Loomes

Index of Hints and Tips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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