The New Haven Time Flip Clock
It was the 1930s - The era of the Great Depression, when the New Haven Clock Company produced an early version of a true flip clock - the New Haven "Time Flip," "Time at a Glance" clock.

The New Haven Clock Company operated out of New Haven, Connecticut from 1853-1960. Over the more than one century of its existance, the well known clock company produced many varieties of table, wall and mantle clocks, including elaborate chime clocks, and later, even pocket watches. During the 1930s masters of the arts, architecture and design were consumed with the Art Deco style, and the New Haven Clock Company produced its share of plastic (Catalin and Bakelite) Art Deco time pieces. Yet, they continued to produce the elegant, traditional clocks of wood, glass and brass. The New Haven "Time Flip" fit somewhere between the these two categories.

Now referred to as the "New Haven Flip Clock," in online circles today this antique wooden flip clock is often described as Art Deco. Perhaps it would be better to say that the New Haven Flip Clocks were, "influenced" by the Art deco movement. Because compared to true Art Deco, these clocks do not quite fit the bill. In fact, when they first came out between 1937-1939 Art Deco had evolved to what is now called the Streamline Moderne style. Everything from cars, clocks, and tools were designed with streamlined profiles, and produced with modern materials in keeping with the engineering advances in aviation and train design. The designers were in tune with the public's fascination with world travel and streamlined speed. The New Haven flip clocks, while clearly different and unique, were not exactly the prevailing style, and yet did not fit completely in the traditional form either. So perhaps this explains why these clocks did not quite catch on and quickly faded into obscurity.

This apparent lack of popularity in their time, and likely limited production, probably explains the rarity of the New Haven Flip Clock, which today makes them highly collectable and sought after by both traditional clock collectors (horologists) and aficionados of flip clocks (horopalettologists). This current popularity and scarcity certainly accounts for the high prices the clocks command at traditional and online auctions.

Truly A Clock Ahead of it's time
After production of the New Haven Flip Clocks, 30 years would pass before the modern flip clock era began. Anyone who appreciates the clean lines and simplicity of the Cifra 3 and the elegant functionality of the early Copals will clearly see the connection to the New Haven Flip Clocks of the late 1930s. To more appreciate this link to the past we need a little historical background.

History of early flip clocks
Recorded information from the makers of antique clocks from the 1930s is scarce or non-existant. No one thought to keep records of the details beyond patents. Today, these details must be pieced together from old advertisements of the day, established horological journals and online sources. The limited recorded history results in many being surprised to learn that there were already "digital" clocks in the 1930s when the New Haven flip clocks came on the scene. These were the cyclometers, the clocks that had digits that rolled on relatively large wheels housed in necessarily bulky cabinets. These type of clocks continued on into the 40s, 50s and 60s until overtaken by the flip clocks. Due to this lack of readily available information, even people in the 1960s had little idea of the history of digital clocks. This can be seen by an advertisement from that period that describes a flip clock of the day as the first new way to tell time in 10 centuries. Ah well, that was a time before the internet and instant knowledge.

So basically, what we know about the New Haven "Time Flip" remains limited. The consensus is that the clocks first appeared in 1937. And by 1939 an advertisement still describes the clock as "modern masterpiece by New Haven that gives you the time accurately and precisely, just like you would speak it."

Two Versions of the New Haven Timepiece (Stylis and Perseus)
There exist two distinct versions of the New Haven Flip Clock. The slightly larger and more common style we will refer to here as the "Stylis" - from the paper label typically found on the bottom reading "Stylis Timepiece." The clock mechanism of the Stylis is housed in a cylindrical glass tube which seems to rest on an equally sized wooden framework or cradle. The cylinder and cradle are positioned between two arched, wooden end pieces on either side, almost like bookends. The numerals are large compared to cyclometers of the time and are easily visible from many paces away. The color of the tiles may have been ivory originally and the numbers brown, but there is no known way at this time to determine if these colors have faded or changed over the years. The movement of the motor can be confirmed by a spinning flat circle, flush with the right inner side of the clock, that looks like an umbrella pattern. The whole assembly lies on a relatively short (about 1/2 inch), flat wooden base. The wood is reportedly "natural Mohogany, trimmed with White Holly". Advertisements list the dimensions as 7 3/4 inches wide, 3 3/4 inches high and 3 3/4 inches deep. The "style number" (or model number?) stamped into a silver blank space on the painted metal idenfication plate reads "N.H.S 611-247T". Painted on this plate one can also see the various patent numbers and the identification of the clock as from the New Haven Clock CO. New Haven, CT. U.S.A.

The second version of the New Haven flip clock, considerably more rare, is more akin to our 60s-70s flip clocks. The bottom label of these clocks describes this as the "Perseus Numeral Timepiece." Yet the name plate on the backs of these clocks contains the same style number (N.H.S 611-247T) as found on the "Stylis Timepiece". As a side note, it must be mentioned here that there is also another varient with the name plate bearing the stamp "WS-611-437T" with the name "Westinghouse Elect. Supply Co, Hamilton St, New Hanven, Ct. USA". This clock also has the "Perseus Numeral Timepiece" label on the bottom. Collectors who have had both types in their possession assert that they are identical. It has been speculated that the New Haven Clock Company produced these alternately marked clocks to be destributed by Westinghouse."

In the "Perseus" clocks, the entire clock mechanism and glass cylinder are exactly identical to the more common "Stylus" clock. However there are substantial style differences beyond this simularity. The clock measures just over 6 inches long, 3 3/4 inches wide and 3 3/4 inches tall. The Perseus clock features circular rather than arched end pieces. The left hand side will be found to be strikingly more narrow than the right - the right being thicker by necessity as this is where the motor resides (as it also does in the Stylis type). The circular end pieces combined with a lack of a resting cradle under the glass, creates an impression that the numbers are floating between the end pieces. The unbalanced look of the early flip clocks of the 60s and 70s harken back to this "Perseus" New Haven flip clock (see the Cifra 3 and Copal Caslon clocks).

The Historic New Haven Time Flip
- a piece of flip clock history from a very tumultuous period in US History.
The 1930s was the era of the Great Depression, America was plagued with severe drought a time known as the Dust Bowl. Gangsters like Bonny and Clide, Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger and others tormented law enforcement and hit banks and businesses hard. In 1937, the year of supposed first manufacture of the New Haven Flip Clock, the Great Flood of 1937 affected over 150 cities along the Ohio river from Pennsylvania to Illinois, especially devastating Louisville Ky and contributing to at least 500 deaths; In that same year, the Hindenburg burned at the mooring post in Lakehurst, New Jersey; Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his 2 term as president, and in 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. If this weren't enough, World War II was just around the corner.

To sum it up, the New Haven Flip Clock appeals to history buffs, collectors of antique clocks as well as fanatics of flip clocks. Hard to find and expensive to own, this historic flip clock marks an interesting time in US History as well as early flip clock history.

Clock Images

Note: There are many more images of the type 2 or "Perseus Numeral Timepiece" because this is the clock in the FlipClockFans.com collection.

See the forum entry to comment and discuss: The New Haven Flip Clock