Self Winding Clock Company

The Self Winding Clock Company was a major manufacturer of electro-mechanical clocks from 1886 until about 1970. The Self Winding Clock Company(SWCC) clock mechanisms were truly revolutionary because the spring that powers the clock was not wound by hand but with an electric motor. The SWCC of New York was one of the first companies in the United States to successfully employ electric energy to power a clock. The winding motor is attached to, and mounted below, the conventional clock works. The unique feature of their patented clock mechanism is the automatic rewinding of the main spring each hour by the small electric motor. A contact switch mounted on the clock’s center shaft is activated after the clock has run for one hour and the main spring is rewound one revolution. This rewinding occurs each hour. The power for the motor is supplied by batteries and the batteries last about 1 year before needing to be replaced. This clock mechanism never needed to be wound by hand and this eliminated the concern that someone may forget to wind the clock. Hence the company name, The Self Winding Clock Company.