How often should I wind it?

Most antique carriage clocks need winding once a week. You use the double-ended key provided, applying it to both the time and strike arbors on the back plate. Turn the key clockwise until you feel firm resistance. Do not force it past this point. Winding on a regular schedule, like a Sunday morning, keeps the mainspring power delivery consistent.

I found one in my grandfather's attic and it has a little button on the top, what does that button actually do?

That is the repeater button. It links to the striking mechanism inside the case. When pressed, the clock strikes the last hour on a wire gong or a bell. Travellers used this feature at night to check the time without lighting a candle. It only works if the clock has a striking train, rather than just a basic timepiece movement.

How do you set the time?

Open the back door to locate the small square arbor. Use the smaller end of your key to move the hands forward. Never turn them backwards on a striking clock. It jams the lifting pins.

The glass on the sides of the brass case seems to have slanted edges, is that normal for these sorts of old clocks?

Yes, those are bevelled glass panels. Makers cut the edges at an angle to fit securely into the rebates of the brass framework. The bevelling also catches the light and highlights the mechanical movement inside. Finding original glass is a bonus. Replacement panels sometimes lack the precise bevel depth of the nineteenth-century originals.

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Victorian Carriage Clocks

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Designed for travel in the nineteenth century, an antique carriage clock is a compact, spring-driven timepiece typically housed in a rectangular brass and glass case with a sturdy carrying handle on top.