It’s an interesting fact that despite being kissing cousins, clock makers and watch makers occupy very different positions in the world of timekeeping. There are hundreds of both around the globe but while certain watch makers have slavish followings, the same is less true for firms who make clocks. The enthusiast and even many of those less so can rattle off watch brands with barely a thought, but who can mention more than a single name or two that appear on the clocks around your house?
So, this column’s intent is to highlight a relatively unknown clock maker and tell a story about how it briefly rose to horological prominence.
The name is Linden, probably one you’ve never heard of yet already with a history dating back nearly 80 years. Founded at the end of World War II under the name Cuckoo Clock Manufacturing Co., the Linden imprint came about 10 years later with the introduction of a series of household clocks assembled in New York. Interestingly, it’s not clear that the Cuckoo Clock company ever made cuckoo clocks but the name likely reflected its original intentions.
From the start, their movements were imported from Germany, home to the Black Forest and its longtime history of cuckoo clock manufacturing. In any event, those early Linden clocks were moderately priced and quickly became staples of midcentury middle-class households. Their lineup included mantle clocks, wall clocks, and alarm clocks, mostly imported whole or in part.
The 1970s was a good decade for Linden, partly due to their importation from Japan of the wildly popular “flip” clocks. Primarily made for desks and nightstands, flip clocks were electric timekeepers that utilized a series of analog-numbered panels that would drop one over the other into place as the minutes and hours progressed. However, by the 1980s changes were afoot as the company moved to Rhode Island and engaged in a series of acquisitions and mergers.
In 1991, having moved all of its manufacturing overseas, the firm was acquired by the Colibri Group and continued as its subsidiary until 2009 when Colibri folded. Since then, Linden has been a brand for hire, its clocks made by a variety of entities around the world.
Now here’s the interesting sidebar. As the story goes, in the late 1990s the increasing uncertainties regarding Y2K and the new millennium prompted a focus on the complexities of timekeeping. Linden, heretofore known for its relatively simple devices, decided to show the world that it too was capable of making complicated instruments and proceeded to design and manufacture the Linden Tellurium. Introduced in 2001, only 100 units were ever made but it was well received by the horological world and, however briefly, refocused attention on Linden’s capabilities.
The Tellurium is a mantle clock made from exotic woods, brass and glass and shaped something like a cathedral with a domed top and glass all around. Apart from a high-precision 11-jewel movement, the clock includes four bells to provide quarter-hour chimes, a shut-off lever that can be adjusted to automatically silence the chimes at night and a top tellurium that features a tiny earth and moon that rotate around the sun. The moon also revolves around the earth every 29.5 days, passing all the months, days and zodiac signs along the way. By tilting the earth’s axis, the assembly even indicates night, day and seasonal variations. With all the elaborate gearing clearly visible, it’s a mesmerizing device.
Today’s collectors of Linden timepieces know this clock well and won’t hesitate to pony up a four-figure number when one comes available. Otherwise, Linden clocks span the gamut from quartz to mechanical, with country-of-origin markings ranging all over the world.
There is definitely a midcentury vibe to most Linden models, and they always sell quickly when offered by galleries like ours. Look for early models with the Cuckoo Clock Manufacturing Co. imprint. Those date to the firm’s New York days and are about as midcentury as you can get in a clock.
Other than the Tellurium, prices for almost all other Linden models are well within the affordable range. We currently have a Tellurium in stock, our first one ever, and it’s something to see. Come on by.
Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are long-time residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he’s the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs. His antiques column appears Sundays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at info@silverfishpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Antiques: Linden is the classic midcentury clock
Reporting by Mike Rivkin / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
