Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This Esschert Antique Styled Cast Iron Clock is actually two clocks in one, nestled in a clamshell metal body. The clock is mounted permanently on an ornate wrought iron bracket. The clamshells can be opened by undoing a latch on the side. Inside are two separate quartz movements, facing opposite sides. Two AA batteries are required, one for each movement. The seven-inch dials with an aged design feature Roman numerals and antique line drawings of a stagecoach station. The hour and minute hands are stylishly ornate and the second hands are of the sweeping variety. I have, however, a minor complaint about the dial design: from a distance, the black clock hands tend to blend in with the black background drawing. It is desirable that the manufacturer lightens up the drawing significantly such that the clock hands can be seen clearly. All in all, it is a beautiful clock, made for outdoor use.
I mounted it under my patio cover on a support pole. Thanks to its two-in-one design, I can tell time both in my patio and from my backyard. I would have given it a 5-Star rating instead of 4, had it not been for the defect: shortly after I installed the batteries, the second and minute hands of one of the two movements were stuck. They were too close together. I dismantled the clock, retrieved the offending movement assembly from the clamshells, and ever so gently bent the minute hand downward to increase the clearance between it and the second hand. It runs faultlessly since.
This clock will make a valued Christmas present for those with a covered patio. However, I do not recommend it for people who need an outdoor clock in the open. It will not withstand direct contact with rain. There are rubber gaskets between the cover glasses and the metal body and there are plastic covers over the quartz movements, but not much else as far as weather proofing is concerned.
In conclusion, this is what I like about this clock: (a) two-clocks-in-one and (b) stylish and aesthetically pleasing. This is what I don't like: it is vulnerable to weather for an outdoor clock.
Update: After about three months of use, the plastic clock dials deteriorated significantly. The one facing outward from my patio warped badly due to exposure to the sun, while the one facing inward showed wrinkles along the edge. The quartz movements had slowed down by several hours on occasions, probably due to temperature variations. I can no longer recommend this product. I downgraded it from 4-star to 2.
More update: I salvaged my clock by replacing the paper-thin plastic dials with two 7" aluminum dials and the cheap quartz movements with two high quality Seiko quartz movements. It has been over 6 months and the time is within one minute of the atomic clock at Colorado. See my comment below on how I did it.
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Esschert Design Antique Styled Cast Iron ClockEsschert Design offers a diversity of products -- inspired by nature -- uniquely combined with practicality. But what may be news is that 80% of our products are designed in a village in Holland. This guarantees our products are unique to our customers. This outdoor clock is constructed of cast iron with a black finish.
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