Clock with battery warning indicator and artillery shell bob, 1920s

In depth

An electric pendulum regulator clock in the standard 'flat-topped' wooden Synchronome case produced between c.1922–1948. This example includes two extra features offered by the Synchronome Company during the 1920s: a pendulum bob made from a 16-pound artillery shell – advertised as ‘a permanent souvenir of the Great War’, and apparently offered from 1920 until c.1926 – and a battery warning indicator mounted to the backboard. This indicator was patented by Synchronome Company founder Frank Hope-Jones in February 1919, and began to appear in company catalogues of the same year. It is likely that he adopted this visual warning system – a filament that glows or flashes in response to the long weak currents of a dying battery – to avoid infringing on the 1905 patent held by Gent for a warning bell. This clock was purchased with a catalogue which includes a date of purchase and former owner’s name – E. Hanson.