Silver mounted digital clock with flickover numbers within cylindrical glass body

Clock, 1905

Not on Viewexpand_more

This is one of the earliest digital clocks, pre-electrification. Though an Austrian engineer developed a digital time display for watches in the late 19th century, today most of us prefer digital displays for alarm clocks and smartphones, not for watches.

This clock is a version of the digital Plato clock, patented by Eugene L. Fitch in New York in 1903. Shown in St. Louis at the 1904 World’s Fair, the Plato clock took the clock world by storm, and manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe produced it. Known by its celluloid (early plastic) leaves hand painted with the hour at the top and the minutes at the bottom, this especially lovely sterling silver Plato clock still has its celluloid page retainer.

Details
Title
Clock
Artist Life
Birmingham, England, 1863-present
Role
Silversmith
Accession Number
98.276.64
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Silver mounted digital clock with flickover numbers within cylindrical glass body