Chess Clocks

Interesting, I took these clocks to a respected watchmaker today - a fruitless endeavour as he is on leave until the end of January (my bad, I should have called first) - but…. for the first time I noticed them in natural sunlight. Whilst almost black inside… in sunlight … no so much. Excuse the weird angle of the photos they are laying on outdoor seats, leaning backwards! The more I research these the more I am thinking these are 1950's, perhaps early 60's. Regardless of their final age, provenance- I am very happy with these clocks and I think they will benefit from a service and clean, by a professional. 👍

They look like classics.

I have a real thing for vintage and even vintage reproductions, as I just like the styling more than most of the modern items.  Here is a photo of a MOM clock I got 3 months ago, and a SC Dubrovnik reproduction set I got in November. 

We were discussing clocks recently and this came up. In the early 1970's, there was a chess/game store in the Northridge Mall in Northridge California. For sale in that store was a chess timer of unique design. I've created a basic 3-d model to help visualize the device.

A sealed clear glass tube rotated on a pivot in front of a backboard. The tube was filled with a clear light oil, and it contained a single ball bearing. The were pegs and holes in the backboard to halt the tilt of the tube at fixed angles, perhaps different for each side as shown. The ball moved freely inside the tube. The rate of motion was dependent on the diameter of the bearing and the viscosity of the fluid (fixed), and the angle of the tube (variable).

Players tilted the tube down on their side after making a move. If the bearing reached the bottom of their side of the tube they won on time. It is somewhat like a sand timer, except the variable tilt per player would allow handicapping.

Perhaps not a practical device but very clever for its time. My memory of seeing this timer is clear. Has anyone ever seen a timer like this? I have searched and could find no hint.

@StupidlyHappy, 

That’s a Walbo chess clock. Photo copied from Chess Praxis’s facebook page. Thanks, Steve!

You sure that's not a scale to weigh cannabis?

Thanks, @madmacsback!  So I wasn't hallucinating...

This is my collection, Sutton Coldfield square rare version and round version, Gambit and the Jantar
 

Here is a photo of one of my favorite Jerger clocks.

It is seen here alongside my MOM clock so you can see the size. If you right click on the image and open it in a new tab you can see it much better.