Seth Thomas Company History

Seth Thomas Clock Company was one of the most prolific and long lived clock companies. The quality of their products was always maintained at an above average level. Seth Thomas must have sold many clocks in the Lafayette, Indiana area, for out of all the antique clocks we repair, about 40% are made by Seth Thomas.

Many American clock factories in the 19th century suffered factory fires but Seth Thomas was fortunate in this respect. Through conservative growth and taking advantage of the new ideas of others, Seth Thomas was able to enjoy financial stability, whereas many other companies faced financial difficulties.

Seth Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut in 1785, went to work for clockmaker Eli Terry in 1807, bought out Terry’s factory (together with Silas Hoadley) in 1810, and in December 1813 bought out Heman Clark’s clockmaking business in Plymouth Hollow.

Thomas continued Clark’s wooden movement tall clock production, and about 1817 began making the wooden movement shelf clock. These were cased in pillar and scroll cases until 1830, when the bronze looking glass and other styles became popular. In 1842, brass movements were introduced, and first cased in the popular O.G. case (which was made until 1913). Wood movements were phased out in 1845. In 1853 Mr. Thomas incorporated the Seth Thomas Clock Company, so that the business would outlive him. Mr. Thomas died in 1859, and Plymouth Hollow was renamed Thomaston in his honor in 1865.

Mr. Thomas was very conservative, and after his death many new styles of clocks were introduced by his sons. Regulator clocks were introduced in 1860. The patterns and machinery for these had been purchased in 1859 from the creditors of bankrupt clockmaker Silas B. Terry. Spring driven clocks were introduced ca. 1855–1860. Perpetual calendar clocks were made from ca. 1863–1917. Some of the most popular later types include walnut kitchen clocks, made from 1884–1909; marble clocks, 1887–ca. 1895; black (Adamantine finish) wood mantel clocks, ca. 1885–1917; black enameled iron cased clocks, 1892–ca. 1895; oak kitchen clocks, 1890–ca. 1915; tambour clocks, introduced in 1904; chime clocks, introduced in 1909; and electric A/C clocks, introduced in 1928.

Many Seth Thomas clocks from 1881 to 1918 have a date code stamped in ink on the case back or bottom. Usually, the year is done in reverse, followed by a letter A–L representing the month. For example, April 1897 would appear as 7981 D.

In 1930 a holding company named General Time Instruments Corporation was formed to unite Seth Thomas Clock Company with Western Clock Company.

In 1955, a flood badly damaged the Seth Thomas factory. They phased out movement manufacturing and began importing many movements from Germany. Hermle, in the Black forest of Germany, has made many movements for Seth Thomas clocks.

In 1968, General Time was bought by Talley Industries, and in 1979 the headquarters was moved to Norcross, GA.

In June 2001 General Time announced that it was closing its entire operation. The Colibri Group acquired Seth Thomas. The NAWCC (the National Association of Watch and Clock collectors) purchased from Seth Thomas their collection of historical records, drawings, photographs, advertisements and documents.

In January, 2009, The Colibri Group unexpectedly shut its doors, laying off its 280 employees and preparing to sell all remaining jewelry, gold and silver to pay creditors. I don't know yet what this means for Seth Thomas.

The following message appeared on the Colibri website:

"February 16, 200

The Colibri Group is currently in receivership and is not accepting any orders at this time. We are also unable to repair or replace any items returned to us for the time being. We will do our best to ensure that items that have been sent to us will be returned to the respective customer or owner. We will update this message as new information becomes available. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience."

On April 13, the following message appeared on seththomas.com:

"Thank you for visiting SethThomas.com.

We are excited to announce that Seth Thomas is under new ownership with a long-standing commitment to providing quality products and a 100% customer approval rating.

For almost 200 years, Seth Thomas has earned a reputation for producing masterfully-crafted clocks including many public tower clocks installed throughout the United States, the most famous of which proudly stands in the center of Grand Central Station in New York City. We now begin a new era with a promise to improve on this legacy and our service to you, our valued customer, as we take immediate steps to regain your trust and confidence.

Thank you for your patience, and please expect to hear from us soon."

On April 13, 2009, the following message appeared on colibri.com:

"COLIBRI - THE FLAME BURNS ON

Thank you for visiting Colibri.com, a name our customers have trusted for over 80 years.

We are excited to announce that Colibri is under new ownership with a long-standing commitment to providing quality luxury products and a 100% customer approval rating.

Colibri was founded in 1928 with a sincere dedication to our customers. Our legacy was built on offering innovative products with the highest quality and design standards. We are committed to you, our valued customers, and we are taking immediate steps to regain your confidence.

Thank you for your patience, and please expect to hear from us soon."

References:

“Illustrated Catalog of Seth Thomas Clocks, Regulators and Time Pieces, 1863”, reprinted by the American Clock and Watch Museum , 1977, with Seth Thomas history by Chris Bailey.

“Seth Thomas Clocks & Movements”, Tran Duy Ly, U. S. Books, ISBN 0-9647406-0-5, Second revised Edition, 1996.

Clocks in the author's collection and clocks observed over the years.

“Printers of Hartford 1825 Thru 1860”, by D. R. Slaght, part of the label printer project coordinated by Paul Heffner of NAWCC.

“Seth Thomas comes to Columbia”, News from the Library and Research Center by Beth Bisbano, NAWCC Bulletin, December 2001, vol. 43/6, No. 335, p. 791.

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