What decade do most of these date from?

The 1930s, by a wide margin. Of the dated pieces on Sellingantiques, 634 of 791 fall in that decade, against 89 in the 1920s, 36 in the 1940s and 15 in the 1950s. The dated field stretches from 1850 to 1950, but the outliers are few and read as loose dealer dating rather than an earlier population. A handful of entries carry a style label such as "Art Deco" in place of a year.

Why do listings say mantle and mantel?

Both spellings are in use for the same thing, a shelf clock. "Mantle" appears in 127 titles and "mantel" in 81. Searching one spelling alone leaves out roughly two-fifths of the shelf clocks in the category.

Which countries made them?

France leads at 165 titles, with England second at 47. French listings cluster around Bakelite cases and alarm clocks; English ones around walnut and oak mantel and wall clocks. Single listings point to Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. The rarest origin recorded is the Isle of Man, source of the automaton rocking-ship clocks that turn up only a handful of times.

Are watches included in this category?

Yes. Wristwatches, pocket watches and ladies' cocktail watches account for around an eighth of listings, with "watch" in 102 titles and "cocktail watch" in 34. Platinum, gold and diamond examples sit at the top of the price range, above the clocks.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 59 Art Deco clocks and clock-form watches come to market on Sellingantiques in a year. Eighty-two different dealers have listed them, which makes it one of the more widely stocked clock groupings on the site.

Do longcase Art Deco clocks exist?

They do, but barely. Grandmother, granddaughter, grandfather and longcase clocks together account for only about a dozen listings across the whole archive. One of them is a longcase with a chrome dial and triple weight movement. Other one-off forms include an electric skeleton clock, a strut clock paired with a barometer and an opalescent glass clock with love birds.

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Art Deco Clocks

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Art Deco clocks are the domestic timepieces of the 1920s to 1940s - mantel, alarm, desk and wall clocks in chrome, Bakelite, glass, marble and figured wood - made to sit on a mantelpiece, bedside table or desk.