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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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15th Jun 2021, 12:46 pm | #1 |
Diode
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Häme, Finland.
Posts: 5
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Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Greetings everyone, new to the forum! Thought this would be the place to ask about a British clock..
So, I bought a big (34cm diameter) Smiths wall clock online, presumably from the early 70's - and upon opening the box, it looks to me like the movement is not original. I am now unsure whether I should ask for the money back. It was advertised simply as a 70's Smiths wall clock. It is a bit of a disappointment since I thought I was buying the original thing - although to be fair, I -was- feeling a little sketchy as to how well the original movement would work and keep time after all these years. I was not into the idea of it possibly needing expensive servicing (the clock is meant to be used) so I guess I could try to look on the bright side here.. The clock (pictured below) now uses just a regular quartz movement if I'm not mistaken? |
15th Jun 2021, 2:11 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,549
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
If that movement takes a "C" cell it is most likely original.
The "made in Holland" marking also makes me think it is original too. |
15th Jun 2021, 4:00 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,675
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Hold it to your ear and describe the tick.
In spite of appearances you might well find the movement is not "quartz", but has a traditional balance wheel, with an actuator coil driven by a simple one transistor circuit.
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15th Jun 2021, 4:35 pm | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Isle of Wight, UK.
Posts: 546
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Sorry to give you bad news, but that is not the original movement or hands.
The movement would be either a Mk1 or 2 Smiths Sectronic, it would be marked as such. Rob |
15th Jun 2021, 4:42 pm | #5 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
If it goes tick once a second it's quartz, if it ticks faster it may well be a balance wheel type. Much more in keeping with the original. Nedklok seem to be the better type https://www.nedklok.nl/?lang=en .
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15th Jun 2021, 5:03 pm | #6 |
Diode
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Häme, Finland.
Posts: 5
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Thank you for the very helpful responses.
Ok, seems it's not the original, then; it does take a C battery, but this thing ticks once a second. Hands not original either? Bummer.. I like the appearance of the clock and don't mind that it ought to keep time, being a quartz.. But it's not really what was advertised.. :/ Perhaps I'll ask if the seller would agree to a partial refund. |
15th Jun 2021, 6:08 pm | #7 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,196
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Back in the 1990s I had responsibility for the Smiths Clock legacy business. My Chairman, Ron Williams, a brilliant Welshman, had in fact been Financial Controller of the Clock & Watch Division in Ystradgynlais, near Swansea.
By my time all Smiths clocks were bought in, with quartz movements, very reliable, robust and rebadged. I guess they still feature in schools and offices throughout the U.K. Your Sectronic clock looks like the dial and hands from the earlier transistor-driven mechanical movement which has been updated with a later quartz movement. Reliability-wise, it’s all the better for that. AFAIK there are no genuine Smiths-made quartz movements out there. …..unless anyone knows different. Martin
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15th Jun 2021, 6:53 pm | #8 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Isle of Wight, UK.
Posts: 546
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Quote:
This is a nice looking model, I have the same and love the very domed dial and glass. Yours is probably worth keeping and you may get lucky tracking down a Sectronic movement and maybe a pair of hands. Mine has the mk1 movement, which was a great movement, the mk2 was never as good, it had been cheapened. |
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15th Jun 2021, 6:57 pm | #9 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,784
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Of course, clock purists hate quartz conversions, but done properly it's largely a cosmetic issue for most people. If you like the clock as it now is, then enjoy it and don't worry too much about it.
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15th Jun 2021, 9:22 pm | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Advert circa 1968/69
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16th Jun 2021, 9:17 am | #11 | |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Co. Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,111
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Quote:
Unfortunately, this one HAS been well and truly 'found out'. |
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16th Jun 2021, 11:51 am | #12 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Clocks always remind me of a song and this line "enjoy yourself, it's later than you think"
The clock looks a nice design to have on your wall and appreciate today. |
16th Jun 2021, 1:58 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
To me, this looks like an original clock which has been repaired at some distant point in its service life, by replacing the entire movement with the nearest equivalent available at the time.
This has been standard practice with this class of mass-produced clock for about 50 years. So to me, it's not a fake, just a clock that's seen a few decades of use and which has been repaired in a pragmatic fashion. As an aside, my dad worked in a 1930s governmemt-owned building which boasted a hundred or so Sectronic clocks installed in the early 1970s. By the early 1990s, most had failed and I certainly couldn't repair the one that was presented to me as a challenge. So you're not missing much IMHO. |
16th Jun 2021, 2:01 pm | #14 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,784
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
The fitted quartz movement is certainly not recent, and may date back to the 70s.
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16th Jun 2021, 4:23 pm | #15 | |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 2,510
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Quote:
Andy |
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16th Jun 2021, 5:19 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
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16th Jun 2021, 5:28 pm | #17 | |||
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Quote:
Interestingly, Barrie Smith's book states: Quote:
It also states that Smiths started using quartz movements in 1975, and from 1978, these movements weren't made by Smiths themselves. So, if it is a "new", replacement movement, it might only be 6 years younger than the clock, and might have been sourced from Smiths as a spare part Last edited by Nickthedentist; 16th Jun 2021 at 5:34 pm. |
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16th Jun 2021, 7:11 pm | #18 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Isle of Wight, UK.
Posts: 546
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
This particular clock will have had either a mk1 or mk2 Sectronic moving coil movement, after that in around ‘72 they used a Jeco tuning fork movement and the dial sported a tuning fork graphic with the Sectronic wording being dropped.
The clock was also available with an 8 day mechanical wind movement, or a Sectric mains movement. |
16th Jun 2021, 9:17 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Impressive info, Rob! where did you find all this out?
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16th Jun 2021, 10:23 pm | #20 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Isle of Wight, UK.
Posts: 546
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Re: Smiths Sectronic wall clock
Years of collecting and tinkering
I know the Sectronic historically has been seen as just a chuck away battery movement, but the mk1 is a great bit of kit with it’s moving coil consisting of two windings and it’s 3 hairsprings. I have nearly always had good success from servicing these, they go from a non runner to a balance amplitude of 270 deg. and timekeeping is very good. The mk2 however I am not fond of, they cheapened it too much and the idea of the lever being permanently engaged to the balance by a rack is not good in horological terms as you will be aware. |