Welcome to our website!
Our
aim is to provide good quality antique and vintage clocks, along with our own range of handcrafted Caithness stone products,
on this page we will concern ourselves with the antique and vintage clocks side of the business as information regarding our
collectable contemporary clocks and stoneware can be found elsewhere on this site.
We
are a small but full time business with plenty of experience in the restoration, repair and sales of antique clocks. Over
the years we have sold many clocks all over the world.
All our clocks
are serviced in house by ourselves prior to sale with the mechanism being ultrasonically cleaned and repaired as needed, then
oiled correctly with proper horological oil, ready to give years of service. Then each clock is prepared to its best possible
condition, whilst retaining originality. After all, a dirty case is a dirty case, no matter what you call it, and if its black
and grimy it is the sort of patina no one wants. By cleaning, we mean exactly that, the removal of layers of old dirt and
wax where required to bring back the clocks natural look, not buckets of harsh chemical stripper and a re-varnish. Occasionally
we come across clocks that have already met the hands of an enthusiastic restorer, and little can be done about that,
but these are always polished to a more natural finish in line with their true nature.
Finding
antique and vintage clocks is easy, finding the genuine article, properly described, serviced prior to sale and in genuinely
good working order is a little more difficult.
This is where we try to fill
the gap in the market, clock repairs are not cheap, and many bargain priced clocks rapidly become expensive once you have
to attend to the work they often need. Even a clock described as working does not guarantee much, especially if it is limping
along with plenty of grime in the works and a good helping of oil just to help it along. All you are getting then is a clock
that might as well be filled with grinding paste, because that is the effect all the oil and grime mixed together is having
on all the little cogs and pinions that are turning and meshing, sooner or later it will need help.
We do our utmost
to remove the risks encountered when purchasing antique and vintage clocks and sincerely believe our clocks work out more
cost effective than buying a running cheapie that may well come back to haunt you. You know the sort, normally described as
was working but have lost the key so can't test, a couple of dark photos and one bid later you have a bargain. Now a couple
of days later the postie rings the door, and with great anticipation you open the box, I know, I have done it myself many
times, and what comes out of the box is normally quite typical, a dirty dusty clock, with plenty of woodworm and a mechanism
that hasn't worked in the last forty years. Now for me thats O.K, and what I've come to expect, but for the ordinary
person who wants a clock for the mantel, the box may as well contain a chocolate teapot.
Well,
thats all the talking done, we created this page to tell you about ourselves, what we do, and why we think your decision to
buy from us is the right one, to sum it up, we always try to give the most accurate descriptions possible, we always send
out clocks that are working and have been serviced and prepared ready for you and believe this works out a better deal than
a so called bargain clock. Having received your clock, we will offer all the help we can should you have any difficulty in
setting it up.
Hopefully having read this you will feel confident about buying from
us, we as a company are nothing without our customers, and so you can rest assured we will do our very best to make your purchase
a happy one. When you receive your clock feel free to contact us for advice.
So,
hopefully you will like what we do, and feel you can buy with confidence, feel free to ask any questions. We try our best
to take the risk out of purchasing your clock.
Kind Regards, and I hope to trade
with you soon
Michael Higham
