Mint The Shop

Smith's Sectric electric wall clock

Looking at the style of this clock from Smith’s Iwould have thought it dated to the 1940s, but according to Museum Victoria who have one of these clocks as part of their horology collection, it was manufactured in England in 1955. It’s one of the nicest deco clocks I’ve come across – I love the fan detail in the corners, and the mint green plastic case is fantastic! The red of the second hand contrasts beautifully with the soft green. I kept the clock running for a good while and it keeps perfect time. For those of you who aren’t familiar with electric clocks, it needs to be pointed out that these types of clocks have to be plugged into a socket (i.e. they’re not battery operated). In the past I’ve converted these clocks to quartz, but a clockmaker recently refused to convert a Smith electric clock for me – apparently the movements are quite impressive, and it’s a great shame to remove them – so I thought I’d respect the clockmaker and leave it intact.  There’s some very minor wear to the metal frame, but other than that this clock is in near perfect condition. A truly beautiful piece that would look fantastic in a contemporary setting.

Dimensions: 16.5cm across x 6.5cm high

Price: R320

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Sony flip style clock

The alarm function on this Sony Digimatic is sadly no longer working, and the radio only picks up AM, so it’s really only the clock that’s still working. But work it does – I had the clock plugged in for a couple of days and it kept perfect time.  Supposedly this model was manufactured by Sony in 1969 and 1970, and it does have a certain plainness that I associate with electronics from the early ‘70s. I like the fact that it pretty much looks like a plain black box. The manufacturer and model name is starting to wear away, and if it were mine to keep I might be tempted to erase it all together – I think it’d look cleaner without it (apologies to the purists out there!).

Dimensions: 10cm high x 21cm wide x 13cm deep

Price: R160

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Art Deco Grandmother clock

I came across this beautiful grandmother clock the other day, but sadly she wasn’t ticking. She really is such a wonderful art deco piece that it was hard to leave her behind, so I brought her home with me! I phoned a clock maker to get some idea of what it would cost to get her in perfect working order, and suprise, suprise, it’s going to cost a pretty penny! So I thought that before I went ahead and emptied my bank account I’d find out if anyone was interested in buying her once she’s been fixed up (i.e. the sale price below is for the clock in working order). She’s quite a petite clock so pay attention to the dimensions, but I have to say that I rather like her diminutive stature. She’ll make a statement without overpowering a room, and doesn’t need the space that a grandfather clock would do. And of course I just love the classic art deco wooden fans on either side of the clock face, so architectural, so beautiful. A truly glorious example of the beauty of the art deco period.

Dimensions: 136cm tall x x 28cm wide x 19.5cm deep

Price: R2500

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Japanese alarm clock

This is probably one of my favourite clocks I’ve featured on Mint to date! I don’t know what it is about them, but I really have a thing for flip clocks. And this version from the Japanese firm, Copal, is a great example! I love its rounded shape, and the way the clock case is suspended above its base. It has a light that’s still working perfectly so you can read the time in the dark, but it’s not bright enough to keep you awake, just a warm glow. The clock is keeping perfect time, and the alarm function is still working. For the most part it’s in very good condition, but there is some dust that’s trapped in the case. A beautifully designed retro clock that will fit in perfectly in a contemporary setting.

Note: the cord for the clock is quite short (70cm long) so it will need to be displayed somewhere that’s reasonably close to a plug point

Dimensions: 15cm wide x 12cm deep x 8cm high

Price: R220

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Small desk clock

I don’t really know much about this little desk clock. It has the word ‘foreign’ printed on the face, which apparently was often the case when the movements for English clocks were made abroad, most often in Germany. The style of the face looks kind of ’60s, as does the slant of the base, but I can’t quite make out the maker’s mark on the back of the clock, so haven’t been able to do much research into its history. I’m assuming it was intended as a promotional desk clock because it has the name of a firm just above the number six – the name and telephone number go round in a half-circle as the seconds tick by. It’s a wind-up clock, so you have to be quite systematic and wind it up once a day. I’ve tried it out a few days running and it appears to keep perfect time. A lovely, simple design that will add a bit of a retro twist to your home or office.

Dimensions: 6cm in diameter x 6cm at its tallest

Price: R130

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