Sargent & Greenleaf, Rochester, New York - 2 movements

A

  B

 C

  D

                                                        D1

     E

                                                          E

These time locks, as were most made before 1900, did not have interchangeable individual movements. So if one movement needed service, the entire lock had to be pulled leaving the vault without protection.

A. Model #2[6], with 46 hour black dials. 1877. This model marked a significant change from the earlier round roller bolt to the cello shaped drop bolt (cello-bolt) which was used with great success in subsequent models. The cello-bolt's two piece spring loaded mechanism allowed this model to do away with the auxiliary bolt that was needed in the earlier roller bolt designs.  The operator need now only wind the time lock, latch the bronze fore-piece of the bolt to the hook lever, and close the door, the two piece leaf-sprung design allowing the cello-bolt's fore-piece to be latched while leaving the nickel plated aft-piece below the bolt extension. When the boltwork is closed, the extension withdraws from the case and the spring between the two cello-bolt parts lifts the aft-piece, blocking the case opening. This was the first lock to incorporate patent dates on the bolt after the company won its initial patent interference victory and the last to use the black dial design, to be replaced by white. 1

Note the extensive movement plate cut outs between and under the dials of this lock and the model #2 on the prior page; giving the movement a beautiful, skeletonized look. Compare this with lock (C) and (D), that has eliminated this feature under the dials. This change was made a few years into production to give additional strength to the movement to better withstand shock due to inadvertent door slams or blows/explosions from an attempted break in. The red-orange interior was a trademark color Sargent applied to their high security locks. This carried over to their early line of time locks and was discontinued around 1879. Ultimately the model 2[6] was made for less than a full year with production numbering around 200. Today four are known to survive. Case #770, movement #778. See a series of photos and videos of the cleaning and restoration of this lock. file 114

B. Model #2,  movement from a Model 2[3], 1875. The time lock was extensively altered sometime c. 1889, and the movement was updated to increase duration resulting in a change from the original 46 hour black dials to 72 hour white dials, addition of Geneva stops to insure enough spring power to open the lock, the change from roller bolt to cello-bolt and updated case with hand-cuff key lock. The movement retains its original grape leaf damascene on the movement top plate which was discontinued with the Model #2[4] in 1876. This movement was the first to replace the fixed arbor dials with dials attached to the front by a screw and washer assembly making accurate servicing easier. Note etched glass. These were more often than not broken at some point. Apparently the company felt the need to make the case and bolt serial numbers look like a close match to the original movement number - perhaps some sort of marketing gimmick to make it appear as if the time lock was produced as a whole. This is not so strange when one remembers that these locks were extremely expensive and produced in small batches with all of the movement parts individually marked with matching serial numbers and the cases often with the identical or close to serial number in the production run. Case #426, movement #423. file 46

C. Model #2[7], c. 1878-1879 with 46 hour dials. One of three known to exist. Case #not indicated, but bolt is #985, movement #992. After 1900 it is known as model #6206. file 100

D. Model #2[11], c. 1886. This example has a curious twin pivoted drop lever, a feature unknown on other S&G locks. Case#1087, movement #1094 file 89

E. Model #6, c. 1910. This model was produced in three slightly different sizes from 1900 through 1929 with a total production of about two thousand. Fewer than 75 of the model #6 exist today. This example is in superb condition; it has the rarer push-button door release as opposed to the small hand-cuff style lock. Case #303, movement # 2884. From the Italia Bank on Broad Street in South Philadelphia.. The last picture shows an advertising plaque for the #6 on a dummy box above the actual time lock. file 88

1. American Genius Nineteenth Century Bank Locks and Time Locks, David Erroll & John Erroll, pg. 157