Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Gold Finish Factory Clock, Quartz Movement
Gent of Leicester Slave Clock | 1960s Gold Finish 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 gold and converted to a modern, self-contained quartz movement.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Gent of Leicester |
| Produced | Circa 1960s |
| Original function | Slave clock |
| Finish | Gold, 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 you'll also find on some of our other clocks from the same maker. It's not a different company, both markings appear on genuine vintage examples, and it's a naming quirk even specialist clock collectors haven't fully explained. A real, documented detail rather than a cause for concern.
The story
This clock once had a job that had nothing to do with how it looks today. It was originally a slave clock, built with no timekeeping mechanism of its own, instead wired into a central master clock elsewhere in the building that sent out a regular electrical pulse to advance the hands by a fixed step. Every slave clock sharing that circuit stayed perfectly synchronised, allowing a single factory, office, or station to keep dozens of clocks showing exactly the same time from one shared source, decades before anything wireless made that easy. Gents of Leicester, founded in 1872 by John Thomas Gent, built the technology that made this possible, and its clocks still surface today in old British factories, schools, and railway buildings.
This particular clock now wears a gold finish, a warmer, more striking alternative to the black or copper tones you'll usually see on this type of clock, paired with its original silver dial under a convex glass cover. The hands have been fitted to run on the clock's new heart: a self-contained modern quartz movement powered by a single battery. No master clock, no pulse generator, no wiring required, it's ready to hang and keep time on its own from the moment it arrives.
Suited to collectors of British industrial and horological history, interior designers looking for a bolder, self-contained statement clock, and anyone who wants a genuine piece of factory timekeeping history with a finish that isn't the usual black or copper.