Sargent & Greenleaf, Rochester New York - 1 movement, Model #4 - Corliss

     A

  B 

  C

A. Model #4 - Corliss. The locks pictured were shipped May 18, 1897. This model was used (in pairs) exclusively in Corliss 'Cannonball' style safes. Note original etched glass which often is missing due to breakage. Sargent and Greenleaf invented the first practical time lock and made their own movements. Most other firms, notably Consolidated, Yale, and Diebold used movements from outside suppliers mainly E. Howard & Co. Around 1902 Howard exited the time lock business and Seth Thomas filled much of this. Other makers who arrived later, as Bankers Dustproof and then Mosler Safe Co., also used American Waltham Watch Co. pocket watch movements. Beginning around the 1950's movement production shifted from the United States to Switzerland. Sargent and Greenleaf ceased production of their own movements due to high domestic costs in 1953. This lock has the company's jeweled (damascene) bronze case. They had two types of damascene patterns, a spotted and a more random 'crystalline' pattern. This having the latter. Case and bolt 1541-2, movement #2 1563 (left), 1541-1, movement #1 1563 (right). file 110

B. Model #4 - Corliss. Made to function exactly as 'A' however this is a very early example of an expertly modified time lock. It probably was done sometime between 1906 and 1915. The substituted movement is a fairly rare Banker's Dustproof Time Lock Co. product and this company was only in existence for this brief nine year period. It's doubtful a Bankers Dustproof movement would have been used after the company went out of business. The case on this example is in the best condition I'd ever seen, fully pristine deep gold plating and superb crystalline damascene (jeweled) pattern. More on this and other modified time locks. file 83

B. Model #4 - Corliss. Same description as above but using a Mosler Safe Co. movement. Case is S&G's spotted style vs. the crystalline style above. My guess would be that this modification was done a bit later than the one one above. The movement is a Mosler using an Illinois Watch Co. #18-size Model #4 movement and custom made porcelain dial. Mosler dials always had their markings on them, while this one is unmarked. After 1932 Mosler switched to American Waltham Watch Co.'s 16-size movement. So this conversion is likely before that time. Case #1458-1. (1) file 141

Most time lock modifications were performed on S&G locks since this company made their own uniquely configured movements. Early locks that used less commonly available movements, particularly those before the introduction of S&G's modular style movement lines after 1890 were candidates. Even so, modified locks are quite rare. It was an expensive procedure done from absolute necessity, and the risk of a catastrophic failure, while remote if done properly, was still a deterrent to the conservative banking community and their insurance companies. Modified locks are a very sought after subgroup of time locks. 

Other modified time locks, page one, page two.