#mastercrafters

Kitchen clocks are functional, and often decorative as well. I remember the one from my mother’s kitchen, along with some that graced the homes of friends and neighbors. When I was small these were mainly electric clocks with cords, but battery-powered clocks were the norm by the time I grew up. This post focuses on the older, corded kind.

One of the most charming vintage kitchen clocks I’ve ever seen is a clock my mother-in-law has had since she set up her kitchen in the 1950s:  a Mastercrafters blacksmith animated electric wall clock, No 263. The fire in the forge scene still flickers and the blacksmith still pounds the anvil, even after decades of continuous service.

Vintage Mastercrafters blacksmith animated electric wall clock, No 263. My mother-in-law has one in her kitchen, dating from the 1950s.

Mastercrafters made clocks with other moving scenes, such as fireplaces and waterfalls. Although they were not expensive and have been described as cheaply made, it’s still possible to find working examples of the different models.

For more information on the history of Mastercrafters clocks (and some advice on repairs), check out Roger Russell’s page: http://www.roger-russell.com/mastrpg/mastrpg.html

The house I grew up in, built in 1960, has a typical Mid-Century ranch house design, with the kitchen and dining room divided by an overhead cabinet and a snack bar.  My mother had modern tastes, and the simple Spartus clock she chose for the wall by the snack bar was shared by the two rooms. The clock was white, with a green or turquoise blue center. I have seen the same model with a red center, as well as one with a tan center. 

Spartus electric kitchen clock, with a simple Mid-Century design. My mother had this model in her kitchen when I was a girl.

Other Spartus clocks featured food and kitchen-related designs, such as fruit, roosters, teapots and coffee pots. This plastic clock resembles a china hutch, with little blue and white plastic dishes, candlesticks and a coffee pot. (Over time, the white plastic “china” often yellows.)

Vintage Spartus clock, made to look like a china hutch, circa 1960s.

In the middle of the 20th century there was a great deal of nostalgia for the era from 1890s to the 1910s, and old-fashioned stoves, coffee grinders, and other symbols of days gone by, rendered in a Mid-Century style, were popular. This Spartus kitchen clock is from that time, when the older generations could recall life before the first World War. 

Vintage Spartus kitchen clock, circa 1950s or 1906s, featuring an old-fashioned stove design and a little copper coffee pot.

The early-rising rooster has been a perennial favorite in kitchen décor. This vintage Spartus clock is just one of many rooster designs .

Vintage Spartus rooster electric clock.

Based on the color scheme and graphic design, this next Spartus clock must have originated in the 1970s or shortly afterward. This was also a very nostalgic decade when simple, “natural” ways of doing things were admired.

Metal and plastic Spartus kitchen clock, circa 1970s or 1980s, made to look like a wooden butter churn or tub.

The last Spartus electric clock I’ll show is a primarily plastic one shaped like a  peck basket of apples, one of their later designs.

Later Spartus “apple basket” kitchen clock, made of plastic.

The iconic Kit-Cat Klock, with its rolling eyes and swinging pendulum tail, has been around since 1932, presiding over all sorts of rooms. In the 1985 film “Back to the Future,” Dr. Emmett “Doc” Smith installs one in his bathroom the fateful day he invents the flux capacitor.

Neal’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Faye had a Kit-Cat Klock in their kitchen. When Neal was growing up he found the clock so creepy it gave him nightmares. We won’t be getting one, but the original design, plus some variations, are still made in the U.S.A. by the California Clock company.  They have a wonderful website: https://kit-cat.com/.

Iconic Kit-Cat Klocks like this one have been made in the U.S.A since 1932.

Nile green was a popular kitchen color in the 1930s and 1940s. (Jadeite glass was developed and introduced in the 1940s.) This Nile green Smiths “Sectric” electric clock with an Art Deco case, was made by Smiths Clocks. The company, based in England, made clocks from 1931 through 1979. 1937 The trade name Sectric was introduced in 1937. In 1962 the trade name, Sectronic, with a moving coil movement, was announced.

Smiths Sectric Nile green electric kitchen clock, made in England. 

For more information on Smiths clocks, see http://www.electric-clocks.co.uk/SMITHS/sm-quick%20guide.htm

Cherries were a favorite kitchen motif in the 1950s, and this Sessions clock is from that era. By this time, the Connecticut-based company was mostly producing inexpensive plastic clocks, although the one shown here has a ceramic frame. Collectors of retro cherry kitchen items would love this clock, even with the chip on one of the cherries.

The “troubled” history of the company is detailed at http://www.discoverclocks.com/sessions_clock.html.

Sessions electric kitchen clock from the 1950s. The decorative frame is ceramic with a cherry design.

Like other clock companies, Sessions made many styles of clocks, including mantle clocks and alarm clocks. This ad from 1949 includes a teapot-shaped clock and one made like a rotund chef. Similar kitchen clock designs are on the market today.

This Sessions clock ad for the 1949 Christmas season features clock designs for every room. Note the kitchen clocks on the lower shelf -- still being copied today.

One of my favorite old-fashioned motifs is that famous symbol of happiness, the bluebird. I’ll conclude this post with images of a vintage ceramic bluebird clock. I’ve heard the ceramic part described as having the look of Hull pottery, although I have not seen a mark. Note that one has the Mastercrafters name, but in both cases the clock movement is by Sessions.

 Vintage Mastercrafters clock with ceramic frame.

Here is another example of the same model ceramic vintage bluebird clock, also with Sessions clock movement.