The 10 Best Antique Clocks to Collect in 2027

1. Thomas Tompion Longcase Clock

This ranks first because no other antique clock combines Tompion's documented scarcity with proven auction depth at the highest price tier. Sold examples run $500,000 to $2.4 million, with the $2.4 million record set at Sotheby's in 2019 for a month-going clock with an equation of time mechanism. Only about 600 Tompion clocks are known to survive. Fewer than 50 sit in private hands, which keeps every sale a market event.

This is for collectors with seven-figure capital who treat horology as a blue-chip alternative asset rather than a hobby. What you trade away is liquidity and accessibility: the buyer pool is a small circle of ultra-high-net-worth horologists, and authentication risk is severe since forgeries and misattributions circulate under the Tompion name. Against the Harrison regulator below it, Tompion sells publicly and often enough that comparable pricing actually exists.

2. John Harrison Precision Regulator

Harrison regulators rank second on rarity alone — fewer than 10 are in private hands, scarcer than any Tompion. Prices run $200,000 to $1.5 million, but sales are so infrequent that benchmarks depend on private dealer transactions rather than public auction records. A Harrison may surface at auction only once a decade. That scarcity is the entire investment case, and it is also the reason the position is not first.

This suits institutional buyers and specialist collectors who can hold indefinitely and do not need an exit. The trade is total illiquidity: a Harrison could sit unsold for ten years if the thin buyer pool is not active when you need to sell. Compared with the Tompion above, you gain rarity and lose the repeat-sale auction record that makes pricing defensible to an insurer or an heir.

3. Breguet Carriage Clock

Breguet carriage clocks take third because they deliver top-tier maker prestige with real trading volume — 20 to 30 sell annually across the major houses. Prices span $50,000 to $500,000, and a signed example with an original gold case and enamel dial typically brings $200,000 to $350,000. That regular turnover produces the comparable-sales data the Harrison tier lacks, at roughly a fifth of the entry cost.

This fits collectors wanting a portable masterpiece with a documented market. The trade is attribution risk: many auction lots labeled Breguet are later period or workshop productions rather than Abraham-Louis Breguet's own work, and that distinction moves price by 5 to 10 times. Later replacement cases and unsigned movements get rejected outright by serious buyers. Verify the specific piece, never the name on the dial.

4. Daniel Quare Bracket Clock

Quare bracket clocks rank fourth for delivering English golden-age craftsmanship at $30,000 to $300,000, with quarter-repeating mechanisms commanding the upper end of that band. The repeating complication is the value driver — a plain timepiece sits near the floor while a quarter-repeater approaches the ceiling. Quare was Tompion's contemporary and direct competitor, which anchors the attribution against a well-documented period.

This is for collectors specializing in English bracket clocks who already understand movement construction well enough to spot replaced parts. The trade is a punishing sale timeline: a $100,000 Quare can take two to five years to move at auction. Against the Breguet above, you get a comparable quality tier for less money and accept a far thinner, slower buyer pool when you eventually exit.

5. Simon Willard Tall-Case Clock

Willard tall-case clocks rank fifth as the strongest Americana horology position, trading $20,000 to $200,000 with fine examples averaging $60,000 to $100,000 at Skinner's Americana sales. A dedicated institution — the Willard House & Clock Museum — anchors scholarship and attribution, which is unusual support at this price level. American collectors sustain steady demand independent of the European horological market.

This suits collectors building an American decorative arts collection where the clock sits alongside period furniture. The trade is the married-case problem: a Willard movement in a non-original case is worth 70% less than a matched example, and the pairing is not obvious to an untrained eye. Against the Quare above, Willard sells faster into a broader domestic pool but never reaches the same top-end price.

6. Cartier Art Deco Clock

Cartier Art Deco clocks earn sixth on cross-market demand, trading $10,000 to $200,000 with geometric lacquer examples from the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs commanding the strongest premiums. Design collectors, jewelry buyers, and horologists all bid on the same lots, which widens the buyer base well past dedicated clock people. That overlapping demand supports prices through soft periods in the traditional horology market.

This is for collectors who want a piece that functions as design object first and timekeeper second. The trade is that mechanical sophistication is not the point — you are buying materials, lacquer work, and the Cartier name, not escapement engineering. Compared with the Willard above, the movement matters less and the case matters far more, so condition assessment shifts almost entirely to surface and finish.

7. French Empire Mantel Clock

French Empire mantel clocks rank seventh on breadth of demand, selling $5,000 to $80,000 for makers like Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Ormolu condition is the single dominant value driver — original gilding adds roughly 40% over a re-gilt example. Interior designers and decorative arts collectors bid alongside horologists, creating demand that supports prices independent of the specialist clock market.

This fits collectors furnishing a period room who want horological substance behind the decoration. The trade is a specific and costly trap: ormolu mounts are frequently re-gilt or swapped for later castings, and a re-gilt clock loses 40 to 50% against one with original patina. Against the Cartier above, entry cost is far lower and supply is much deeper, so patient buyers can wait for untouched gilding rather than settling.

8. Vienna Regulator

Vienna regulators rank eighth as the best value entry into serious collecting, spanning $2,000 to $50,000 with the collector sweet spot at $5,000 to $15,000. That buys a clean example by a named maker like Gustav Becker with an original mercury pendulum and untouched gilt gesso dial. Appreciation runs 3 to 5% annually, and they trade continuously across multiple auction houses, so exiting is genuinely possible.

This is for collectors who want investment-grade quality without six-figure capital, and for anyone who may need to liquidate on a normal timeline. One failure mode dominates: replacing the original mercury pendulum with a modern substitute over safety concerns cuts value 40 to 60%. Humidity is the other killer — a regulator stored in a damp basement can shed 80% of its value in a decade.

9. Black Forest Cuckoo Clock

Black Forest cuckoo clocks place ninth on a wide $500 to $15,000 range that lets a collector start cheap and still reach a serious piece. Hand-carved hunting scenes by Johann Baptist Beha reach $8,000 to $12,000, the documented top of the category. Beha is also a named maker in the Vienna regulator market, so attribution scholarship and dealer expertise carry across both categories.

This is for collectors drawn to carving and case work rather than precision timekeeping, and for anyone building a German horology focus. The trade is that the vast majority of supply is tourist-grade twentieth-century production worth a few hundred dollars, so the signal-to-noise ratio is poor. Against the Vienna regulator above, the ceiling is roughly a third as high and the movements are far simpler.

10. Seth Thomas Shelf Clock

Seth Thomas shelf clocks rank tenth as the most liquid entry point in the entire market, trading $200 to $5,000, with rare models like the Fashion or Gothic in original stenciling hitting $3,000 to $5,000. Thousands change hands each year on LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable. Appreciation is modest at 1 to 3% annually, and servicing runs only $150 to $300 every five years.

This is for beginners learning authentication and maintenance on a piece where a mistake costs hundreds, not tens of thousands. The trade is minimal appreciation — you are buying education and liquidity, not return. Hidden restoration is still the main hazard: a replaced movement, non-original glass, or a re-stenciled case drops value roughly 60% against a genuinely untouched example. Buy from a specialist dealer rather than a general marketplace.

How we ranked these

Every clock on this list was ranked against sold prices — not asking prices — pulled from Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams Skinner and NAWCC guides. Four inputs carried the weight: maker scarcity, originality of movement, dial and case, auction frequency as a liquidity proxy, and decorative crossover demand beyond horologists. Condition mattered most; an untouched example routinely doubles or triples the price of a restored twin.

Ignored: dealer asking prices, eBay listings and "estimated value" aggregators, all of which run high and rarely close. Aesthetic preference was excluded too — a chiming case you love does not appreciate faster. We also skipped quartz-converted clocks, reproduction Black Forest carvings sold as period, and any maker attribution without workshop records, because misattribution runs 10-15% in online sales and poisons every number downstream.

What to look for

Pick the condition tier before the maker. An "excellent" Vienna regulator at $8,000 with its original mercury pendulum and untouched gilt gesso outperforms a "good" Simon Willard at $40,000 with a married case. Ask three questions on every clock: is the movement original to the case, has the dial been repainted, and does provenance trace to a named family? Everything else is decoration.

The common mistake is buying the name and ignoring the arithmetic of exit. Auction houses take 15-25% buyer's premium going in and 10-15% commission going out, so a $10,000 clock must reach roughly $13,500 just to break even. Buyers also chase "Breguet" pieces that are workshop or later-period production — a 5-10x price gap — and discover it only when they try to sell.

Related questions

What is the best antique clock for a beginner collector?

Start with a Seth Thomas shelf clock at $300 to $1,000. Thousands trade annually on LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable, so you can exit a mistake cheaply. Servicing runs $150 to $300 every five years. Buy one in original stenciling with its factory movement — the discipline of checking those two things transfers directly to every clock you buy afterward.

How do I verify an antique clock's authenticity?

Buy through Christie's, Sotheby's or Bonhams Skinner, where cataloguing carries liability. Above $10,000, commission an independent condition report from a certified horologist and match signatures and serial numbers against published workshop records. The NAWCC estimates 10-15% of major-maker attributions in online auctions are wrong. Provenance tracing to the original owner's family adds a 20-40% premium and doubles as verification.

What condition issues reduce an antique clock's value most?

Replaced movements, non-original cases, repainted dials and re-gilt ormolu do the most damage — 50-80% off an untouched comparable. On French Empire mantel clocks, re-gilding alone costs 40-50%. On Vienna regulators, swapping the mercury pendulum for a modern substitute cuts 40-60%. Serious buyers price originality, not function; two clocks can keep identical time and differ threefold in value.

Are antique clocks a good investment in 2027?

Top-tier Tompion, Harrison and Breguet pieces have compounded roughly 5-8% annually across two decades of repeat sales. Vienna regulators and American tall-case clocks track 3-5%. Neither is liquid: plan a 5-10 year hold, budget 25-40% in combined auction fees across a round trip, and treat appreciation as a bonus on an object you actually want to live with.

Where can I sell an antique clock?

Major houses run dedicated horological sales several times a year and reach the buyers who pay top benchmark, but take 10-15% seller's commission. Specialist dealers buy outright at a discount for speed. LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable list volume but authenticate lightly, so bring your own condition report and provenance file or expect bids to reflect the doubt.

Which antique clocks sell fastest?

Vienna regulators and Seth Thomas shelf clocks trade continuously across dealers and auction houses, so a sale takes weeks, not years. Breguet carriage clocks see 20-30 sales annually at major houses. At the thin end, a $100,000 Daniel Quare bracket clock can take two to five years to place, and Harrison regulators may sit unsold for a decade.

How often does an antique clock need servicing?

Every five to ten years by a specialist clockmaker. Skip it and worn pivots, broken mainsprings and damaged escapements follow, with repairs running $1,000 to $5,000 — and the heavy restoration that fixes them permanently reduces value. Keep the case out of direct sun, off damp basements and away from temperature swings; humidity alone can gut a Vienna regulator's worth.

What does a "married" clock mean?

It means the movement and case were not made for each other — a Simon Willard movement dropped into a later case, for instance. Collectors discount married examples about 70%. Check that case seat-board holes match the movement pillars, that hand and dial wear align, and that the pendulum length suits the case. Dealers rarely volunteer this.

FAQ

What is the most expensive antique clock ever sold at auction?

A month-going Thomas Tompion longcase with an equation-of-time mechanism reached $2.4 million at Sotheby's in 2019. Roughly 600 Tompion clocks survive and fewer than 50 sit in private hands, so each appearance is an event rather than a market. Current benchmarks for the maker run $500,000 to $2.4 million depending on complication and case originality.

How much do Vienna regulators cost?

The full range is $2,000 to $50,000, but the collector sweet spot is $5,000 to $15,000 for a clean example by a named maker such as Gustav Becker or Johann Baptist Beha. Insist on the original mercury pendulum and untouched gilt gesso dial; both are routinely replaced, and both replacements take a large bite out of resale.

What condition grade should I target?

Aim for "excellent" or better. On the standard horological scale, mint commands 100% of benchmark, excellent 70-85%, good 50-70%, fair 30-50% and poor under 30%. Good-condition clocks appreciate more slowly and face a thinner buyer pool at resale, which is where the discount actually bites. The grade gap costs less at purchase than it returns at exit.

Are Black Forest cuckoo clocks worth collecting?

They span $500 to $15,000, with hand-carved hunting scenes by Johann Baptist Beha reaching $8,000 to $12,000. The category is heavily reproduced, so period carving quality and an original movement decide everything. Treat the low end as decoration rather than investment; only signed, documented Beha-level work has held meaningful value at auction.

What about Cartier Art Deco clocks?

Range is $10,000 to $200,000, with geometric lacquer pieces shown at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs commanding the strongest premiums. These sell to design collectors as much as horologists, which broadens demand but also means condition of the lacquer and case finish drives price nearly as hard as the movement.

Should I buy from a dealer or an auction?

For your first purchases, a specialist dealer — you get a condition report, recourse and someone to teach you what you are holding, at a modest markup. Once you can read a movement yourself, auctions offer better pricing. Either way, never buy above $10,000 on photographs alone without an independent horologist's report.

How do I store and display an antique clock?

Stable temperature and humidity, out of direct sunlight, never a basement or an exterior wall that sweats. Sun fades dials and lifts veneer; damp corrodes movements and cracks cases. A Vienna regulator left in a damp basement can shed most of its value inside a decade. Wind on schedule and dust the case with a soft brush only.

What is a realistic first-year budget?

Five thousand to twenty thousand dollars covers a credible start: three to six months of study through NAWCC publications and museum visits, then one excellent-condition Seth Thomas or Vienna regulator from a specialist dealer. Reserve roughly $300 for the first service and leave the rest unspent until you have picked a category to specialize in.

Which makers are most often faked or misattributed?

Tompion, Harrison and Breguet draw the most trouble. Many "Breguet" clocks are later-period or workshop production rather than work by Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, and the price gap runs 5-10x. NAWCC puts misidentification and outright fakery at 10-15% of major-maker attributions in online auctions. Signature alone proves nothing without workshop records.

How long should I plan to hold a clock?

Five to ten years minimum. Combined buyer's premium and seller's commission mean a $10,000 purchase needs roughly $13,000 to $14,000 to break even, so short holds lose money almost mechanically. Clocks that appreciate 3-8% annually need time to clear that spread. Buy pieces you would keep if the market never moved.

Sources

• https://www.christies.com/en/department/clocks-7
• https://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/clocks-watches
• https://www.bonhams.com/departments/CLO/
• https://www.nawcc.org/
• https://www.liveauctioneers.com/category/clocks
• https://www.invaluable.com/antiques/clocks
• https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/
• https://www.kovels.com/price-guides/antique-clocks.html

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