Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Baby Blue Factory Clock, Quartz Movement
Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Baby Blue Factory Clock, Quartz Movement
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An original 1960s wall clock marked "Gent of Leicester" on the dial, once a slave clock in a British factory or workplace, now finished in a soft baby blue and converted to a modern, self-contained quartz movement.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Gent of Leicester |
| Produced | Circa 1960s |
| Original function | Slave clock |
| Finish | Baby blue, sprayed |
| Dial | Silver |
| Glass | Convex glass cover |
| Movement | Converted to modern quartz, single battery |
| Hands | Original-style pointers, fitted for the quartz conversion |
| Diameter | 24.5 cm (9.6") |
| Height / depth | 6.5 cm (2.6") |
| Availability | One of one, once sold this exact piece will not return |
| Import duty | Payable by the buyer in their own country |
A note on the "Gent" marking
This dial reads "Gent of Leicester" rather than "Gents of Leicester," a variation also seen on some of our other clocks from the same maker. It isn't a different company, genuine vintage examples turn up with both markings, and it's a naming quirk even specialist clock collectors haven't fully settled. A documented, authentic detail, not a red flag.
The story
Before it took on any colour at all, this clock had a job to do that had nothing to do with looks. It was originally a slave clock, with no timekeeping mechanism of its own, wired instead to a central master clock elsewhere in the building. That master clock sent out a regular electrical pulse to nudge the hands forward one step at a time, and every slave clock sharing the same wiring stayed in exact agreement, letting a whole factory, office, or station keep dozens of clocks in sync from a single source, long before wireless synchronisation existed. Gents of Leicester, founded in 1872 by John Thomas Gent, built the technology behind this system, and clocks bearing the name are still being found in old British industrial buildings today.
This particular clock now wears a soft baby blue finish, a lighter, more playful take on a piece that usually turns up in black or bare metal, paired with its original silver dial under a convex glass cover. The hands have been fitted to run on a self-contained modern quartz movement, powered by a single battery, so it needs no master clock and no pulse generator, just hang it and set the time.
Suited to collectors of British industrial and horological history who want something a little different from the usual finish, interior designers looking for a softer, more playful colour in an otherwise no-nonsense industrial object, and anyone furnishing a nursery, kitchen, or light-filled room that could use a touch of colour with real history behind it.