1930s Bernard Rice’s Sons A1463 Gold Guilloché-Style Mechanical Desk Clock

$188.00
A striking circa-1930s Bernard Rice’s Sons mechanical desk clock featuring an oval gold-tone frame, pale celadon-green radiating surround, sculpted pedestal base, and an elaborate pierced floral crest.

The finely ribbed gold metal surround gives the clock a wonderful guilloché-like appearance, catching the light in narrow radiating lines around the dial. Because the clock has not been disassembled, I am describing this as guilloché-style rather than claiming the surround is traditional guilloché enamel.

At the top, a pierced basket-and-foliage crest is framed by scrolling leaves and fruit motifs, while a repeating botanical border surrounds the oval case. The result sits somewhere between Art Deco-era glamour and older Neoclassical decorative tradition: a small mechanical clock that was clearly expected to do more than simply tell the time.

This is a wind-up mechanical clock. It was tested on a full wind for approximately 12 hours and kept accurate time throughout the test period. After 12 hours it started to drift by a couple minutes, but not too shabby for a 90 year-old clock.

Please note that the dial has a visible scratch beneath the glass in the upper portion of the face. Because the mark is underneath the crystal, its origin is unknown and may relate to previous handling or servicing at some point in the clock’s history. The clock has not been disassembled by The Timekeeper to investigate the mark, as the mechanical movement is currently running and keeping accurate time.

📚 Historical Context

New York. The 1930s. A clock could have been a dial, a movement, and four screws. Bernard Rice’s Sons apparently decided that was nowhere near enough.

The company grew from a New York family metalworking business whose history stretched back into the 1800s. By the opening decades of the 20th century, Bernard Rice’s Sons was producing an enormous range of decorative metalware, including pieces sold through its Apollo lines.

Then came the Machine Age. Radios became architecture. Cocktail shakers started looking like skyscrapers. Ordinary household objects suddenly needed speed lines, stepped profiles, polished metal, and just enough glamour to make the Great Depression slightly less depressing.

Bernard Rice’s Sons became particularly associated with that movement through its celebrated Apollo “Skyscraper” designs of the late 1920s and 1930s.

Model A1463 takes a slightly different road.

Instead of abandoning ornament, this clock mixes the new with the old: a radiating oval surround and streamlined proportions paired with a flower basket, curling foliage, fruit clusters, engraved borders, and a shell-like pedestal.

In other words, somebody took the fairly straightforward job of telling you it was ten past ten and gave it a wardrobe.

The original underside tag remains intact and is marked:

BERNARD RICE’S SONS, INC.
A1463
NEW YORK

✨ Condition Notes

- Mechanical movement winds, ticks, and runs.
- Tested continuously for approximately 12 hours and kept accurate time throughout the test period.
- Movement has not been professionally serviced, and long-term accuracy beyond the test period is not guaranteed.
- Gold-tone finish shows authentic age-related patina, darkening, small marks, scratches, and areas of finish wear, particularly around the pedestal and raised decorative details.
- Pierced floral and basket crest remains intact.
- Pale green radiating surround presents well and has a distinctive guilloché-like appearance.
- Dial shows age-related spotting and discoloration.
- Several visible lines or marks can be seen across portions of the dial/crystal area. These may be reflections, surface scratches, age-related marks, or marks beneath the crystal. The clock has not been disassembled to determine their exact source, as it is presently running and keeping time.
- Rear fabric covering shows age-related discoloration and wear.
- Rear movement plate and controls show normal oxidation and surface wear consistent with age.
- Original Bernard Rice’s Sons A1463 New York identification tag remains attached beneath the pedestal.

Please review all photographs closely, as they form an important part of the condition description.

📏 Measurements (approximate)

Height: ~5.9 in
Width: ~5.8 in
Depth: ~2.25 in

📦 Packaging

Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
A striking circa-1930s Bernard Rice’s Sons mechanical desk clock featuring an oval gold-tone frame, pale celadon-green radiating surround, sculpted pedestal base, and an elaborate pierced floral crest.

The finely ribbed gold metal surround gives the clock a wonderful guilloché-like appearance, catching the light in narrow radiating lines around the dial. Because the clock has not been disassembled, I am describing this as guilloché-style rather than claiming the surround is traditional guilloché enamel.

At the top, a pierced basket-and-foliage crest is framed by scrolling leaves and fruit motifs, while a repeating botanical border surrounds the oval case. The result sits somewhere between Art Deco-era glamour and older Neoclassical decorative tradition: a small mechanical clock that was clearly expected to do more than simply tell the time.

This is a wind-up mechanical clock. It was tested on a full wind for approximately 12 hours and kept accurate time throughout the test period. After 12 hours it started to drift by a couple minutes, but not too shabby for a 90 year-old clock.

Please note that the dial has a visible scratch beneath the glass in the upper portion of the face. Because the mark is underneath the crystal, its origin is unknown and may relate to previous handling or servicing at some point in the clock’s history. The clock has not been disassembled by The Timekeeper to investigate the mark, as the mechanical movement is currently running and keeping accurate time.

📚 Historical Context

New York. The 1930s. A clock could have been a dial, a movement, and four screws. Bernard Rice’s Sons apparently decided that was nowhere near enough.

The company grew from a New York family metalworking business whose history stretched back into the 1800s. By the opening decades of the 20th century, Bernard Rice’s Sons was producing an enormous range of decorative metalware, including pieces sold through its Apollo lines.

Then came the Machine Age. Radios became architecture. Cocktail shakers started looking like skyscrapers. Ordinary household objects suddenly needed speed lines, stepped profiles, polished metal, and just enough glamour to make the Great Depression slightly less depressing.

Bernard Rice’s Sons became particularly associated with that movement through its celebrated Apollo “Skyscraper” designs of the late 1920s and 1930s.

Model A1463 takes a slightly different road.

Instead of abandoning ornament, this clock mixes the new with the old: a radiating oval surround and streamlined proportions paired with a flower basket, curling foliage, fruit clusters, engraved borders, and a shell-like pedestal.

In other words, somebody took the fairly straightforward job of telling you it was ten past ten and gave it a wardrobe.

The original underside tag remains intact and is marked:

BERNARD RICE’S SONS, INC.
A1463
NEW YORK

✨ Condition Notes

- Mechanical movement winds, ticks, and runs.
- Tested continuously for approximately 12 hours and kept accurate time throughout the test period.
- Movement has not been professionally serviced, and long-term accuracy beyond the test period is not guaranteed.
- Gold-tone finish shows authentic age-related patina, darkening, small marks, scratches, and areas of finish wear, particularly around the pedestal and raised decorative details.
- Pierced floral and basket crest remains intact.
- Pale green radiating surround presents well and has a distinctive guilloché-like appearance.
- Dial shows age-related spotting and discoloration.
- Several visible lines or marks can be seen across portions of the dial/crystal area. These may be reflections, surface scratches, age-related marks, or marks beneath the crystal. The clock has not been disassembled to determine their exact source, as it is presently running and keeping time.
- Rear fabric covering shows age-related discoloration and wear.
- Rear movement plate and controls show normal oxidation and surface wear consistent with age.
- Original Bernard Rice’s Sons A1463 New York identification tag remains attached beneath the pedestal.

Please review all photographs closely, as they form an important part of the condition description.

📏 Measurements (approximate)

Height: ~5.9 in
Width: ~5.8 in
Depth: ~2.25 in

📦 Packaging

Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.