The Basic Design

The Malkin School/Railway Clock is reproduced from an authentic 19th Century design. Click the picture on the left to see a larger image of the clock.

The Case

Each Clock Case is hand-made. The wooden ring which surrounds the clock is made from eight separate pieces, a traditional method found in most nineteenth-century clocks. The white face or "dial", and the wooden surround, are pegged onto a back box containing the "movement", which drives the hands.

Malkin Clocks are hand finished to give an authentic aged appearance that blends beautifully into traditional and contempary settings. The Clocks are available in oak, mahogany or pine. See below for details.

The Movement

This is the mechanism which drives the hands. Original dial-clocks had expensive spring-driven movements which require regular winding and maintenance, and were quite inaccurate by modern standards. Malkin reproductions therefore employ a high quality German-made quartz movement, to ensure maintenance-free accuracy. This type of movement is battery-powered, and is far more suited to a kitchen environment, in which grease and steam can be detrimental to mechanical movements.

The Dial

Our Malkin Clock Dials (the 'dial' is the white area in the middle) have been carefully reproduced both in colour and detail and are unique to these clocks. The dial is normally (and traditionally) inscribed with the maker's name and hometown, but dials can be customised with your own personal inscriptions if you wish - click here for more information and some examples of customised and commemorative clocks.

The Bezel

This is the brass ring which surrounds the dial and retains and protects the glass. Our bezels have been carefully reproduced from original examples, and are unique to Malkin Clocks.

In original spring-wound clocks, the bezel was hinged and could be opened, so that the clock could be wound with a key, inserted through a small hole in the dial. Because Malkin clocks use modern quartz movements (see above) we normally make the dial without a hole, and fix the bezel in place. But we can offer the option of an opening hinged bezel, and a "winding hole" complete with steel shaft. This is purely ornamental, and the clocks do not need to be wound, but the opening bezel is popular with customers who want a completely authentic-looking clock.

The Finish

Original Dial Clock cases were most commonly made from hardwoods such as oak or mahogany. We can supply cases made in these woods, custom finished to your requirements. In order to preserve hardwoods, where possible reclaimed wood is used for the dial surround, and even where the surround is in oak or mahogany, we normally make the back box from pine, which is coloured to match the surround. You can specify an entirely oak or mahogany clock if you wish.

Pine and oak clocks are wax-polished, while mahogany clocks are french-polished. Please note that the exact colour and shade of the photograph may vary slightly on different computer screens. Click on the picture on the right to see a larger, more detailed version.