Small Magneta Slave Clock | Compact Mid-Century British GPO Clock, Satin Black, Quartz
Small Magneta Slave Clock | Compact Mid-Century British GPO Clock, Satin Black, Quartz
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The compact sibling of our larger Magneta clock, same maker, same story, in a much smaller size that suits a shelf, a small wall, or anywhere a full-size factory clock would be too much. Satin black body, original silver dial and hands, converted to run on quartz.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Magneta |
| Size | Small |
| Produced | Circa 1940s–50s |
| Original function | Slave clock |
| Finish | Satin black, sprayed |
| Dial | Silver, original |
| Hands | Original |
| Glass | Convex glass cover |
| Movement | Converted to modern quartz |
| Diameter | 18 cm (7.1") |
| Height | 5.5 cm (2.2") |
| Availability | One of one, once sold this exact piece will not return |
| Import duty | Payable by the buyer in their own country |
The story
Magneta was one of only four manufacturers approved to build clocks to the British General Post Office's specification, alongside Gent & Co. of Leicester, Synchronome of Alperton, and Gillett & Johnson. The company dates back to 1917, when Joseph Molden took over the original Magneta business, later expanding by acquiring the Silent Electric Clock Company in the early 1920s. In 1939, Magneta itself became part of the British Vacuum Cleaning and Engineering Company, the makers of Goblin vacuum cleaners, and continued supplying master and slave clock systems to post offices, telephone exchanges, and factories from its works in Leatherhead, Surrey, well into the mid-twentieth century.
This particular clock is simply a smaller version of that same idea, built to the same principle but sized for a desk, a small stretch of wall, or a shelf rather than a factory floor. As with every genuine slave clock, it never had its own timekeeping mechanism, it relied on a pulse from a central master clock elsewhere in the building to advance its hands. That network is long gone, so this clock has been converted to a modern quartz movement, keeping its original silver dial and hands exactly as they were.
Suited to anyone who wants the look and history of a British institutional clock without the scale, a bedside table, a small kitchen wall, a bookshelf, anywhere its bigger sibling simply wouldn't fit.