Chelsea Clock | on the move and in the news!

We're proud to announce we made headlines this week as we embark on the next chapter of our storied history in our hometown of Chelsea, Massachusetts. On Tuesday, the Boston Globe shed light on our past, present, and future -- our legacy of craftsmanship, and our exciting new headquarters in an article by Globe correspondent Jay Fitzgerald. The piece may have introduced many readers to the understated celebrity that a Chelsea carries -- a secret that our proud clock owners have been privy to for nearly 120 years.

Every American president since Woodrow Wilson has either owned one or presented one as a gift. Celebrities have cherished them, too, from Elvis Presley to members of the Grateful Dead to Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” fame. Even the late Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev is on the list of buyers and gift recipients of what is perhaps one of the most famous locally manufactured items in Massachusetts: a clock made by Chelsea Clock Co.

The print version included a beautiful photo spread showcasing our new factory at 102 Second Street, pulling back the curtain for a peek inside to where magic happens. As the article notes, we’re almost entirely settled in -- we’ve only got our lacquer room to go, which we expect to have done before the snow starts coming down in sheets. And yes, it’s beginning to feel like home.

[Chelsea Clock’s] “new” headquarters is an early 20th century structure, long known as the Atlantic Clothing building, located on a cobblestoned section of Second Street. “It kind of has the same DNA and character of the old building,” said [chief executive and principal owner JK] Nicholas, a businessman who bought Chelsea Clock in 2005.

But mostly, the piece tells a story of perseverance: how we continue to build our clocks in-house and by hand, just as we’ve done since 1897; how we’ve endured when other makers, who once comprised a diverse Massachusetts manufacturing landscape, were swallowed by a declining industry; how we only recently moved from our Everette Ave. factory when our historical headquarters became threatened by redevelopment -- and how we couldn’t be happier to be here in our new home on Second Street, continuing our tradition in a newly tailored space with such remarkable people like you supporting us as we embark on our next big adventure.

So here’s to you -- thanks for helping us stand the test of time.