James Lea Clocks
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Fine reproduction grandfather clock, wall clock, and shelf clock maker.

 

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My Reproduction Simon Willard Clocks

For more than forty years master craftsman James Lea has worked in his one-man shop, striving to preserve the high quality and craftsmanship for which early American clockmakers are justifiably renowned. His love of antique clocks and woodworking have come together to produce the finest reproduction American clocks available today. With pride in the traditions of a bygone era, he custom builds each work of art with flawless attention to detail. Discriminating collectors and prudent investors worldwide are proud to own a signed and numbered replica of these fine museum pieces.

The pictures below are "thumbnail" images that link to very large pictures. Click on any thumbnail to see the larger image. While it will take a few extra seconds to download them, I'm very proud of my clocks and want to make sure you can see every detail of the fine workmanship.


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SIMON WILLARD PRESENTATION CLOCK

The original "improved timepiece" was sometimes embellished with a bracket resembling a shelf fastened to the bottom of the clock and the entire front of the clock covered with 23 K gold leaf for use in more formal settings. This beautiful Presentation model clock was the most expensive of all the Willard improved timepieces and was often given as a gift for a special occasion. The scene in the lower door of this clock is "The escape of the Constitution", from the famous battle in Boston Harbor during the Revolutionary war.

Available as PB-1 without the bracket base as shown for $2400.00 or as PB-2 with the bracket base for $2600.00

SIMON WILLARD'S IMPROVED TIMEPIECE


Simon Willard, considered the Father of American clock making, was born in Grafton, Massachusetts in 1753. He was the first American to patent an eight-day wall clock movement, receiving his patent from Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Prior to his patent, if you wished to purchase an eight-day clock, you had the choice of a clock imported from Europe or an American tall clock, both of which were beyond the means of all but the richest early Americans. He called his invention his "improved timepiece" and the design has come down to us unchanged through two centuries and is today what we know as a "Banjo Clock". This solid mahogany eight-day wall clock is a reproduction of the original Simon Willard Improved Timepiece. The lower door and neck frame are cross-banded with Holly and Mahogany inlay. The eagle finial, side arms and bezel are hand finished cast brass and the glass is hand painted on the reverse in a geometric design as was the original.

Available as shown asWB-1 for $1800.00 or with a Mahogany bracket base as WB-2 for $2000.00.


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ELY TERRY PILLAR AND SCROLL CLOCK

Eli Terry was a self-taught clock maker with very little formal education. In spite of this, he set himself up at the age of fourteen in the clock making business, making clocks on special order. During his sixty years of clock making, he completely transformed the industry. In 1807 Terry began work on the standardization of clock parts and was the first person in the clock industry to use mass production methods. Using waterpower to drive the machinery at his Watertown Connecticut factory, he turned out thousands of clocks and hired people such as Seth Thomas, Silas Hoadley and Chancey Jerome, who later became famous clockmakers themselves.


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This is a reproduction of his thirty- hour wooden works Pillar and Scroll clock, which he designed and patented in 1812. He sold the clock for one dollar. In 1818 Terry sold Seth Thomas the rights to make and sell the Pillar and Scroll model clock for a royalty of fifty cents each and it went on to become one of the most widely produced clocks of the Nineteenth century.

Available as PS-1 for $2200.00 or with the matching shelf as PS-2 for $2295.00


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SIMON WILLARD ROXBURY CASE TALL CLOCK


This clock is a reproduction of the finest of Simon Willard's Tall Clocks and is copied from the original, which is in the Willard House Museum, Grafton Mass. The Roxbury style case is solid Mahogany with brass finials and brass stops and capitals in the pillars of both the lower case and hood. The waist has an arch-top door with applied molding. The double step molded base has ogee bracket feet and a Holly and Ebony sunburst inlay and Holly stringing. The dial is hand painted with both calendar and moon phase disks and the floral corner decorations are outlined with gold relief. The hands are hand-filed and made of pierced steel.

Available as WTC for $12,000.00.

LEMUEL CURTIS GIRANDOLE CLOCK

Probable the most elaborate clock of the period was the Girandole. This 1815 masterpiece was very much a status symbol. Few families could afford to own one and very few have survived after almost two centuries. Styled after the continental Girandole convex mirrors of the period and patented by Lemuel Curtis of Concord Mass., the name is taken from the French "girandole" and the Italian "girandola". Literally, it means a revolving firework. The scene in the lower convex door glass is "Perry's Victory" from Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry's famous defeat of the British on Lake Erie during the war of 1812.

Available as GD for $6,000.00


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AARON WILLARD EIGHT-DAY SHELF CLOCK

This clock by Simon's brother Aaron Willard circa 1820 is copied from the original in the Willard House museum in Grafton Mass. The design is believed to come from the English Tall Clock using only the hood and base and eliminating the center section or waist, making it less expensive to produce and more affordable to the average family. An original feature is the "dish dial", made concave in order to allow room for the hands between the dial and the glass. The reverse painting on the door glass has a nautical theme with anchors in each corner. The Mahogany case is topped by a brass finial flanked by swan's neck scroll fretwork. The lower case is veneered in crotch Mahogany, cross-banded with straight grain Mahogany and inlayed with Ebony stringing. The feet are cast brass covered with 23 K gold leaf.

Available as EDS for $2800.00

The movements in all our clocks are heavy gauge, fully hardened leaded brass with steel alloy pinions and arbors, and are exact reproductions of the original early 1800's Willard movements. They are made and hand finished by David Lindow in the USA, and come with a lifetime warranty. The stained and varnished finish on all cases is applied by traditional methods, then hand rubbed to a deep satin gloss. The glass on the throat and door tablets is gold leafed and hand painted on the reverse using period églomisé techniques, by Thomas Moberg, Americas premier tablet painter. The dial is hand painted on eighteen-gauge steel, with a cracked aged finish and signed James Lea, Rockport.

Shipping is FOB Rockport Maine. Crating is $75.00 for wall or shelf clocks. Tall clocks are shipped via Boston Truck Co. Boston Mass. Maine State residents add 5% sales tax.

 

Text and images © James Lea Clocks, 2007, all rights reserved