Hammond Clock Company
 Rear view of a Hammond electric clock featuring its signature starting knob | |
| Formerly | Hammond Clock Company (1928 – 1935) Hammond Organ Company (1935 – 1985) Hammond Organ Australia (1986 – 1989) Hammond-Suzuki (1989 – present) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry |
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| Founded | Chicago, Illinois (USA, 1928) |
| Founder | Laurens Hammond |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Donald Leslie |
| Products |
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| Parent | Suzuki |
The Hammond Clock Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, specialized in the production of electric clocks from 1928 until 1941. This enterprise was among the innovations developed by Laurens Hammond, the creator of the renowned Hammond organ.
Development of the Hammond clock motor
Laurens Hammond’s clock motor was inspired by Henry Warren’s successful Telechron clocks. He engineered a synchronous motor designed to rotate precisely in time with the electrical grid frequency, guaranteeing accurate timekeeping provided the grid frequency remained constant. Unlike Warren’s self-starting design, Hammond’s motor operated at a slower speed and required manual activation through a knob, which he considered advantageous in preventing false resets after power interruptions. This starting knob became a hallmark feature of Hammond clocks.
Company history
Established in 1928 to manufacture clocks powered by Hammond’s motor, the Hammond Clock Company produced more than 100 different models, ranging from economical to high-end designs crafted from materials such as marble and onyx. The firm employed expert toolmakers who developed sophisticated stamping tools that enabled cost-effective mass production, with assembly carried out by unskilled workers. Additionally, Hammond licensed his motor technology to other clock manufacturers including Waterbury, Sessions, and Ingraham.
The Great Depression saw approximately 150 clock manufacturers go out of business, and Hammond encountered difficulties when his motor patent was invalidated due to earlier German inventions. In an effort to diversify, he briefly ventured into making electric bridge tables but ultimately maintained operations through securing a $75,000 contract in 1931 with the Postal Telegraph Company for large electric wall clocks intended for railroad stations.
A pivotal moment arrived in 1935 when Hammond introduced the Model A Console organ, leading to a rebranding as "The Hammond Organ Company" and a strategic shift away from clock production. By 1941, clock manufacturing had ceased entirely as the company concentrated on electromechanical organs, which would become its defining product line for decades.
Further reading
Compared to Telechron clocks, literature on Hammond clocks remains scarce. Useful references include websites noted above and Spin to Start, the newsletter published by the Synchronous Society focused on collecting Hammond clocks; only two editions were produced: vol. 1, no. 1 (October 1996) and vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1998).