I just purchased a military clock in the black phenolic type case. It is practically identical to the CHELSEA "U. S. ARMY CLOCK MESSAGE CENTER M2" Model. It has "M. LOW" beneath the 6. Someone has black painted over the dial area where the U. S. ARMY...info should be but I presume it would have been the Army marking. Otherwise the numbers, hands (dual zone hour hands) are identical to the Chelsea.
The movement has the M. LOW insde a ships wheel logo as you described and the serial has an "A" prefix. The serial sans the prefix would match the Chelsea list as being made in 1940 - 44 which would be the appropriate time frame. I am almost certain it was made by Chelsea. Don't know if the markings on dial & movement were done by Chesea or M. Low but if Chelsea says they didn't do letter prefixes I would think LOW must have.
If your clock is identical to a Chelsea model I would believe that it was made by them.
I find very little info in my online searches for M. LOW. They must not have kept any records! No history of their company other than it was started by Max Low and he came to the US in 1910. M. Low Instrument Company was founded in New York and they were located on Fulton Street.
My clock has a broken mainspring and I can find no info online telling what size spring the CHELSEA M2 model 12E takes. Guess I'll just have to measure it!
Follow up (M. LOW) by: Ken
I received an answer to my inquiry from Chelsea Clocks they state ;
"This clock is actually made by the M. Low Instrument Company and while the movement looks similar to our marine mechanical movement it is not exactly the same."
So I guess the M. LOW clocks will remain a mystery since there is almost no info on the M. Low Instrument Company. Did they manufacture their own parts or did they have other companies make the parts and they just assembled them or what?
If anyone has any further information please post it! I and I'm sure others would appreciate anything you can add.
Thanks, Ken
M. Low by: Anonymous
I have a vintage deck clock....the only ID on the face is Mk 1 Deck Clock. However, inside the back is a round sticker (original) that says "Admiralty" M. Low NY and some numbers. I take it to mean that 'Admiralty' is the model and I assumed Low was the maker. It belonged to my late father-in-law who commanded a US Navy vessel during WW2. I believe he 'souvenired' it.....