Ships clock & barometer for the wheel house

[Sdpaddler50]

I would like to hang up a nice brass clock and barometer inside our trawler.

The reviews for the Weems & Plath products on Amazon are not very good, with people noting the clock looses 10 mins every day. Unacceptable for a $250 clock. Are they wrong?

I don't mind spending more money on a higher end clock if needed.

Anyone have some personal product reviews you can offer on Weems, or other brands?

Picture attached for example.

[mlydon]

I picked up a pair of 8 day mechanical clock and barometwr on ebay for about $150 chimes too. Real barss.... Search seth thomas corsair

Matt

[gonesail]

my Boston shipstrike has not lost a second in over a year.

[NYSail]

I have a weams and Plath barometer from my old boat for sale. Very good condition...... $50 plus shipping

[NYSail]

And btw I have a similar clock that works flawlessly. Had an issue two years ago and weems and Plath replaced insides for free. Great company

[toddster8]

My boat came with a set from “Chelsea.” Catalog price seems to be a couple of kilobucks! The clock mechanism was dead - an obsolete old mid-century battery-powered unit. I sent it off to the manufacturer, and for only $200, they replaced the guts with a $5 quartz movement that you could buy at any hobby shop. Or Amazon. It lasted about six months. Also produced radio interference on every “tick.” I replaced it myself with a continuous sweep movement, for which I had to buy and trim a new set of hands. Cost about $15 and has lasted four years so far.
Spending more money doesn’t get you a better clock.

[Dockhead]

The Chelsea mechanical ones are the gold standard. They tick with a substantial, resonant sound, and you get to fuss around with them and wind them and they are a nice presence in the wheelhouse.


The new ones are quite expensive and allegedly not as good quality as the older ones. The old surplus U.S. Navy ones in bakelite cases are not in demand among collectors and can be found on FleaBay for reasonable prices. Then just have the mechanism overhauled and you're good to go.


Don't expect quartz accuracy but they will outlast you, and your children too -- they were built when clockmaking was a high art and are beautifully constructed with jewels in the high precision mechanism. The mechanism looks like a fine Swiss watch scaled up.


For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-wor...8AAOSwj-BdJ6xh







That's the real deal, a real precision instrument, not a cheap Chinese toy like the Weems & Plath.


There are also Russian naval clocks on the market which are equally lovely, of equal quality, and even cheaper.

[Dockhead]

This one has been serviced already:


https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELSEA-U-S...cAAOSwHqddTv-g


That's a good deal.

[Island Time O25]

Any good old watch repair shop in any port city should have a used/refurbished/recalibrated ship clock or two on hand. And most likely for under $100 with a waranty.

[Exctyengr]

In addition to being hopelessly addicted to boats, I also collect ships clocks with over a dozen in my collection. There is no question: Chelsea mechanical clocks are the gold standard. They will last approximately forever in fact I have two in my collection that are over a century old - they still keep great time. If, the planets ever align, and if I quit aging, my Grand Banks (that i lust for) will have a Chelsea clock/barometer in the wheel house. Chelsea made most of the good clocks for the Navy and Merchant Marine in WWIIThere are other good names: Schatz Grand Mariner, made in Germany a good clock, Seth Thomas, the Corsair is good, not great but certainly does what you want, Wempe another German made clock, very good, Smiths, British made very good clocks. Decide whether you want a striking clock, a wind up (weekly). Take a look at Ebay for prices. Chelsea's are pricey but last forever and keep their value.

[Jeanneau 45.2]

I have a Chelsea quartz ShipStrike time piece on my boat. I'll spare you the details, but I cannot recommend their products. An old venerable company that is no longer living up to their past standards, IMHO. And FWIW, I was born in Chelsea, MA !!

[Smokeys Kitchen]

-2 for Chelsea. The following is a communication I had with them last Nov. My clock stopped working even with battery replacement.


me: "Do you repair battery operated Chelsea Shipstrike Quartz clocks"

response: "Hello Ron

Yes we do. You can send it to us following the shipping instructions on our website and be sure to send the entire clock along with a note with your name, address, telephone number(s), and a brief description of what you would like us to do for you. Most clocks like yours will need to be with us for 3 - 6 weeks. The approximate cost to service it would be in the $330 range. If you decide to send it to us we would look forward to doing it for you. Our offices are currently closed and your email has been answered from a home office location. Our regular business hours are Monday - Thursday 9 am - 5 pm and Friday 9 am - 4 pm Eastern Time.

Thank you"

So their price has gone up to $330 for a simple repair (read replacement) of an inexpensive quartz movement. I have a Timex that has lasted longer than this clock. I am now looking locally for repair

[LouK]

My Weems & Plath keeps pretty good time as long as replace the batteries every year. Their service is close to unbelievable though. Last year I took my clock in for repair & it is probably as old as my ‘83 vessel. They checked & said ‘yes sir, it’s still under warranty’ & replaced the entire works for free. Beat that! Long live W&P.

[wizoc]

Have Weems and Plath for over a year and it still keeps perfect time.

[HBrew]

I bought a Weems and Plath clock and barometer. The barometer is pretty useless as the dial is moved when the boat slams hard. But the clock keeps good time. A standard battery quartz electric movement, so nothing of interest to someone who likes clocks, but it works.