The New Haven Clock Company was incorported in the early 1850s with $20,000. The president of the company was Hiram Camp and he retained that title for forty years.
circa 1860 New Haven Shelf Clock
The company was formed to produce inexpensive brass movements for the Jerome Manufacturing Company, but the Jerome company went bankrupt and had to sell its assets, including its manufacturing plant. The New Haven Clock Company purchased the defunct Jerome Company and from that day in the mid-1850s, until the 1880s, the company experienced great success. It expanded its operations by making complete clocks and it promoted pocket and wrist watches.
circa 1890 New Haven Shelf Clock
The New Haven Clock Company soon became one of the largest clock companies in the United States. Among the clocks produced were French clocks; jewelers' regulators; ebony and mahogany cabinet clocks; wall clocks (including calendar clocks) figure clocks and tall-case hall clocks.
New Haven sales offices were located around the world in such cities as Liverpool, England, and Yokohoma, Japan. Through catalogs, New Haven sold its own clocks, as well as those made by F. Kroeber of New York, The E. Howard Company of Boston, and E. Ingraham & Company of Bristol. New Haven discontinued this sales practice in 1885. After that, the firm offered only a small number of imported clocks and no longer sold andy clocks manufactured by other companies.
circa 1900 New Haven Novelty Clock
A novelty clock, the "Flying Pendulum" was patented in the early 1880s. The new Haven Clock Company took control of the patent and improved its mechanism and design. Its unique movement makes it one of the most fascinating clocks ever produced. A flying ball attached to a swiveling center pole alternately wraps and unwraps around two side poles, regulating the movement and taking the place of the pendulum. The Flying Pendulum clock was advertised as the best show-window attraction ever made, but it was not noted for its timekeeping accuracy. In fact, it would be impossible to regulate it for accuracy because of the random nature of the pendulum. Some have even referred to this clock as a liars clock because it is said that if a clockmaker claims to have regulated one, he is a liar. Sometimes the cord wraps tight and sometimes it wraps loose, so the timing varies with each wrap around the post. This unique clock has been reproduced from time to time, and as recently as the late 1950s.
Flying Pendulum Clock
In 1910, the company offered a vast range of clocks and from 1917 to 1956, the clockmakeer was a major producer of inexpensive watches. The New Haven Clock and Watch Company, inc took over the company in 1946. Financial woes plagued New Haven from 1956 until 1959. After 107 years in business, the New Haven Clock Company's facilities and products were sold at public auction in March of 1960. The company's demise may have been due to is tremendous overproduction of products, which made it impossible to earn a profit.