Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Black Factory Clock, Quartz Movement
Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Black 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, it's now finished in black and runs entirely on its own, no wiring to a master clock required.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Gent of Leicester |
| Produced | Circa 1960s |
| Original function | Slave clock |
| Finish | Black, 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
You'll notice "Gent of Leicester" on this dial rather than "Gents of Leicester." That's not a different maker, both versions of the name turn up on genuine vintage clocks from the same company, and even dedicated clock collectors haven't settled on a firm explanation why. A real, documented quirk, not something to second-guess.
The story
Clocks like this one weren't originally built to be looked at on their own, they were built to agree with each other. As a slave clock, it had no internal timekeeping of its own: it relied on a wired connection to a central master clock somewhere else in the building, which sent out a pulse at set intervals to move the hands forward one step at a time. Wire enough of these together and an entire factory, school, or office block could show the exact same time on every wall, all driven from a single source, long before anyone had a way to do that wirelessly. Gents of Leicester, founded in 1872 by John Thomas Gent, was one of the companies that made this kind of large-scale synchronised timekeeping possible across Britain, and clocks bearing their name are still being pulled out of old industrial buildings today.
This example has been finished in black and given a modern quartz heart, so instead of waiting on a signal from somewhere else in a building that no longer exists, it now keeps its own time, on a single battery. The silver dial sits behind a convex glass cover, and the hands are fitted specifically to work with the new movement.
Suited to collectors of British industrial and horological history who don't mind owning more than one from the same maker, interior designers wanting a dependable, self-sufficient wall clock with genuine backstory, and anyone drawn to the honest, no-nonsense look of a real factory timepiece.