Gents of Leicester Double-Sided Bakelite Clock with Wall Bracket | 36 cm Station Slave Clock, Original Movements, Wall or Ceiling Mount
Gents of Leicester Double-Sided Bakelite Clock with Wall Bracket | 36 cm Station Slave Clock, Original Movements, Wall or Ceiling Mount
Shipping costs calculated at checkout
A double-sided clock by Gents of Leicester from the 1940s, in a Bakelite housing in good condition with only small signs of age. It is mounted on a steel wall bracket so that it projects from the wall and can be read from both directions. It still holds its original slave movements, tested and working with a pulse generator. The bracket also allows it to be used from the ceiling, and the dials can be turned.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Gents of Leicester, England |
|---|---|
| Type | Double-sided slave clock with wall bracket |
| Period | 1940s |
| Housing | Bakelite, in good condition with small signs of age |
| Bracket | Steel wall bracket, can also be used at the ceiling |
| Dials | White dials with black numerals, glass covers, the dials can be turned so they read upright when the clock hangs from the ceiling |
| Movement | Original slave movements, tested and working in combination with a pulse generator |
| Power | Needs a pulse generator or master clock, not included. Ask us about the options |
| Conversion option | Can be converted to a quartz movement on battery, just send us a message |
| Diameter | 36 cm (14.2") |
| Thickness | 13 cm (5.1") |
| Wall mount height | 27.5 cm (10.8") |
| Length including wall bracket | 48 cm (18.9") |
| Availability | One of one, once sold this exact piece will not return |
| Import duty | Payable by the buyer in their own country |
The story
In 1872 John Thomas Gent started the company in Leicester that would become Gents of Leicester, one of the best-known names in British electrical timekeeping. Its Pul-syn-etic system of 1903 solved a problem every large building had: how to make dozens of clocks show the same time. A single accurate master clock sent a pulse along the wiring, and each slave clock advanced its hands by one step. Stations, factories, post offices, hospitals and schools across Britain and beyond were fitted with the system, and the best-known surviving Gents clock still hangs in London's Waterloo Station.
A slave clock has no timekeeping of its own. Inside the Bakelite housing sits only a movement that turns the hands a step at a time on each pulse, with the soft mechanical click that gives these clocks their character. The double-sided version, mounted on a bracket that sticks out from the wall, had one job: to show the time to people approaching from either direction. It hung over platforms, corridors, workshop floors and waiting rooms, where a flat wall clock could not be seen from both ways.
This example dates from the 1940s, measures 36 cm across, and comes complete with its steel bracket. The Bakelite is in good condition and shows only the small signs of age you would expect. Both original movements are still in place and have been tested with a pulse generator, so the clock runs as it was built to. A pulse generator is not included, but there are several ways to run it, and we are happy to talk through the options. If you would prefer a self-contained clock, it can be converted to a quartz movement on battery. Just send us a message.
The steel wall plate is 27.5 cm high, and the total length of the clock including the bracket is 48 cm. The bracket can also be used at the ceiling and, because the dials can be turned, the faces can be set to read upright whichever way the clock is fitted.
Suited to collectors of British horological and railway history, interior designers, restaurant, hotel and shop owners who need a clock that can be seen from two sides, and anyone furnishing a loft, hallway or workshop with a working piece of British engineering history.