The Blue Mountain Pottery (BMP) factory in Collingwood, Ontario produced hundreds of designs of jugs, pots, vases, figurines, and other shapes using glazed, molded local-area red clay from about 1953 to 2004. Based on our research, they did not make or sell clocks.
However, in the 1960s and 1970s they did produce four versions of ceramic plates for Caravelle battery wall clocks sold by the United States-based Bulova Watch Company.
Our museum currently (May 2018) has two examples (colours) of each of the round plate, octagonal plate, and chicken clock models. Their pictures are included in this Gallery. The known colours are the classic BMP dark green, cobalt blue, and orange/red. Note the variety of dial shapes / designs. We have not found the fish model.
Embossed on the back of each plate is the three-trees BMP logo and the mold number. The mold numbers are C-170 (round plate, 25 cm diameter), C-171 (fish), C-172 (chicken, 34 cm high), and C-173 (octagonal plate, 25 cm wide).
The early battery movements needed a flashlight battery to drive the geared balance-wheel mechanism. It is possible that early quartz movements were used by the mid 1970s when they became more widely available. But some clocks found today may have replacement quartz movements that were installed when the original geared movements failed.
We are still looking for an example of the fourth known model, the fish facing left - the picture shown here was found online.
The web site for Blue Mountain Pottery collectors is www.bmpcc.com. |