Antique New Haven Oak Store Regulator Wall Clock—Chas. Ettinger Cleveland

Details

Description

An exceptionally handsome and remarkably well-preserved antique American store regulator wall clock manufactured by The New Haven Clock Company and … Read more An exceptionally handsome and remarkably well-preserved antique American store regulator wall clock manufactured by The New Haven Clock Company and distinguished by a rare Cleveland retailer stamp on its reverse.

Standing an impressive 42½ inches high, the clock has the architectural presence of a narrow furnishing rather than an ordinary wall accessory. Its tall, dark-stained oak case combines a projecting molded cornice, substantial plinth and full-length hinged glazed door. The upper glass is reverse-painted in black around a circular dial opening, while the clear lower panel reveals the long pendulum and beautifully aged brass bob.

The ivory-toned paper-over-metal dial is signed “The New Haven Clock Co., New Haven, Conn.” and “Made in U.S.A.” Bold stylized Arabic numerals, a precise outer minute track and dark spade-form hands give the face excellent legibility and the disciplined visual character of a turn-of-the-century commercial timepiece.

A single winding arbor indicates a time-only mechanism without a separate strike or chime train. The spring-driven movement configuration is consistent with New Haven’s eight-day shop and store regulators of the period, although its precise running duration has not been independently verified.

The lower interior retains its printed New Haven beat scale, graduated from the center outward. Positioned behind the pendulum, the scale provided a visual reference for checking the pendulum’s alignment and the symmetry of its swing. Its survival adds another compelling layer of original mechanical character.

The clock includes its brass pendulum bob, pendulum rod and winding key. The glass, dial, hands, movement, metal fittings, wooden case and key all remain in exceptional visual condition for a clock more than a century old.

What elevates this example beyond a conventional New Haven regulator is the large historical stencil preserved on its wooden reverse:

“LOANED BY
CHAS. ETTINGER
112 ONTARIO ST.
CLEVELAND, O.”

Period Cleveland directories document Charles Ettinger as a dealer and repairer of watches and clocks at 112 Ontario Street by 1897. A 1902 jewelry-trade publication featured his newly fitted store in the Park Building at that address, describing it as a handsome jewelry establishment. Trade reporting indicates that the Charles Ettinger business had passed to successors by 1908.

Together, these records establish a credible turn-of-the-century association between the clock and a documented Cleveland jeweler. The words “Loaned By” strongly suggest that Ettinger supplied the clock for use in another commercial, institutional or public-facing interior. The identity of that original establishment has not been documented, so the inscription is presented as an important retailer association rather than a complete chain of provenance.

From an interior-design perspective, this clock possesses an unmistakably Ralph Lauren–inspired traditional sensibility. The dark oak case, black reverse-painted glass, ivory dial, aged brass pendulum and authentic commercial provenance evoke the richly layered atmosphere of an English country house, private club, equestrian library or tailored American study.

It would be particularly compelling displayed against paneled walls, grasscloth, deep green or oxblood paint, aged plaster or traditional patterned wallpaper. Pair it with worn leather seating, tartan or paisley textiles, campaign furniture, antique sporting art, equestrian objects, dark wood bookcases and warm brass lighting for a collected, club-like interior.

The clock would be equally distinguished in a library, entry hall, home office, restaurant, boutique, hotel lounge or traditional living room. Its substantial vertical scale allows it to anchor a narrow wall, occupy the space between bookcases or introduce an architectural focal point where a conventional picture would feel too predictable.

The broad wooden backboard, visible construction, historical stencil and gently aged interior surfaces preserve the clock’s authentic commercial character. These details give it the authority of an object that spent generations performing a practical role rather than existing solely as decoration.

A distinctive piece of American horological and Cleveland commercial history, combining the craftsmanship of a major Connecticut clockmaker with exceptional preservation, commanding decorative presence and a remarkably specific turn-of-the-century retailer association.

MAKER AND IDENTIFICATION RESEARCH
The New Haven Clock Company was organized in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1853 under Hiram Camp. Initially established to manufacture clock movements, the company subsequently developed into one of America’s important large-scale clock producers.

The manufacturer’s identity is confirmed by the signed dial and by the surviving printed beat scale inside the case, which reads “New Haven Clock Company, New Haven, Conn., U.S.A.”

The clock’s tall glazed case, single winding arbor, pendulum, beat scale and time-only movement place it within the company’s commercial shop- or store-regulator tradition. Comparable documented New Haven examples include eight-day time-only shop regulators produced during the opening decade of the 20th century.

No surviving model label has been located on this clock. It is therefore cataloged conservatively as a New Haven store regulator rather than assigned an unverified factory model name.

RETAILER IDENTIFICATION
Charles Ettinger is documented in a period Cleveland directory as a dealer and repairer of watches and clocks at 112 Ontario Street.

A 1902 issue of The Jewelers’ Circular described Ettinger’s newly fitted jewelry store in the Park Building at 112 Ontario Street. By 1908, jewelry-trade reporting recorded the transfer of the Charles Ettinger business to successors.

The retailer’s documented occupancy, together with the clock’s form and construction, supports the circa 1900–1908 estimated date. The reverse stencil is a meaningful historical association, although the original borrowing establishment and circumstances of the loan remain unknown.

PROVENANCE
Private collection
Historically associated with Charles Ettinger, jeweler and watch-and-clock dealer, 112 Ontario Street, Cleveland, Ohio

KEYWORDS
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