{"product_id":"gents-of-leicester-factory-clock-for-gledhill-brook-time-recorders-halifax-1950s-bakelite-industrial-slave-clock","title":"Gents of Leicester Factory Clock for Gledhill-Brook Time Recorders Halifax | 1950s Bakelite Industrial Slave Clock","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA large, increasingly hard-to-find industrial factory clock, manufactured by Gents of Leicester for Gledhill-Brook Time Recorders of Halifax. A crisp, clear face with its original hands, set in a deep spun metal surround, a handsome and genuinely iconic piece of British industrial design.\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\u003eGents of Leicester, for Gledhill-Brook Time Recorders, Halifax\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduced\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1950s\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBakelite, deep brown colour\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSigns of wear, glass covered\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHands\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOriginal, intact\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMovement\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOriginal Gents 30-second slave movement, tested and working\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePower requirement\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRequires a pulse generator or master clock, not included\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConversion option\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCan be converted to a modern quartz, single-battery movement on request, just message us\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiameter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e36 cm (14.2\")\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\u003eThe story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis clock carries two well-documented names, and both are worth knowing. Gents of Leicester, founded in 1872 by John Thomas Gent, became one of Britain's leading names in electrical timekeeping, best known for the Pul-syn-etic system it introduced in 1903, a master clock and slave clock network that let a single accurate timepiece drive dozens or hundreds of others across a building from one central source. Gents equipment was standard across British railway stations, schools, and factories for decades, and the company's best-known surviving installation still hangs in London's Waterloo Station.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eGledhill-Brook Time Recorders of Halifax was itself a serious industrial name in its own right. The company traces back to 1886, when George Henry Gledhill founded a cash till business in Halifax, moving into the Trinity Works on Harrison Road as it grew. In 1912, Gledhill bought the assets and patents of the failed Stockall-Brook Time Recorders Company and partnered with Frank Brook, forming Gledhill-Brook Time Recorders Ltd, based at the Empire Works in Huddersfield. The company became known for high-quality clocking-in machines and industrial time and attendance systems used across British factories, and its precision engineering credentials ran deep: during both World Wars, Gledhill-Brook supplied the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Air Force with bomb release mechanisms, and in the Second World War also produced sun compasses for desert operations and field service levels for military construction work. The time recorder business continued until 1964, when it was sold to the American Simplex Time Recorder Company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA clock badged Gents of Leicester for Gledhill represents exactly the kind of partnership that made sense between these two companies: Gents' proven master and slave clock technology, supplied under Gledhill-Brook's name for the factories and industrial sites that were already their core customer base for time and attendance equipment. This example still holds its original Gents 30-second slave movement, tested and confirmed working, along with its original hands and glass cover. As with any slave clock of this type, it needs a pulse generator or master clock to actually keep time, which is not included, though we are happy to convert it to a modern quartz, single-battery movement instead if you would prefer a self-contained clock, just send us a message.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSuited to collectors of British industrial and horological history, interior designers looking for a large-scale, genuinely rare wall piece, and anyone furnishing a loft, office, or workspace who wants a real piece of factory timekeeping history rather than a reproduction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blitzcraft Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53628885631312,"sku":null,"price":495.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0847\/7029\/2048\/files\/Blitzcraft_Vintage_Antiques_theatre_and_industrial_lighting_17_September_2026_23_van_255.jpg?v=1789724215","url":"https:\/\/blitzcraftvintage.com\/products\/gents-of-leicester-factory-clock-for-gledhill-brook-time-recorders-halifax-1950s-bakelite-industrial-slave-clock","provider":"Blitzcraft Vintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}