{"product_id":"gent-of-leicester-slave-clock-1960s-black-clock-quartz","title":"Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Black Factory Clock, Quartz Movement","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003e\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003e\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGent of Leicester\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduced\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCirca 1960s\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal function\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSlave clock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlack, sprayed\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDial\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSilver\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGlass\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConvex glass cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMovement\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConverted to modern quartz, single battery\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHands\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOriginal-style pointers, fitted for the quartz conversion\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiameter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24.5 cm (9.6\")\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight \/ depth\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5 cm (2.6\")\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of one, once sold this exact piece will not return\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImport duty\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePayable by the buyer in their own country\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA note on the \"Gent\" marking\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eYou'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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eClocks 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSuited 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blitzcraft Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53629228745040,"sku":null,"price":179.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0847\/7029\/2048\/files\/BlitzcraftVintage_Antiques_theatreandindustriallighting17September2026_89van255.jpg?v=1789732322","url":"https:\/\/blitzcraftvintage.com\/products\/gent-of-leicester-slave-clock-1960s-black-clock-quartz","provider":"Blitzcraft Vintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}