ARE you a clock amateur, expert or fanatic? If so, read no further.

This advice is for the many people who contemplate buying their first antique clock as a decorative and functional item - and, as so often the case with them, taking into account the resale or investment value.

WHAT MAKES THEM TICK?

All clocks require a power source. For the overwhelming majority of clocks made before 1960 that power is released from springs.

In longcase (or grandfather/mother) clocks and their wall-mounted equivalents (usually 'Viennas'), the power is released from weights. As with all these rules of thumb, there are interesting exceptions - 'gravity' mantel clocks make a feature of the fact that the body of the clock itself is the weight, usually falling very slowly down a fixed pole.

The most important mechanical part of all clocks is the escapement - the component that ensures smooth and regular release of the power to the hands. It is, effectively, a series of gears which transforms the raw power in the mainspring or weights into the delicate and precise release needed to keep accurate time.

Imagine - a few seconds' key-turning is transformed into millions of ticks and tocks just to keep the machinery going for a typical eight days. The final control of the release of power is by way of a pendulum or its more compact equivalent, a balance wheel. There are, typically, around 60 components in the movement of a striking clock.

WHAT MAKES SOME MORE VALUABLE THAN OTHERS?

Not accuracy - electricity wins hands down. But, ironically, it is early ingenuity and the subsequent investment of time, money and craftsmanship that makes the earliest of their kind the most sought after. You may remember what was then to be the last episode of 'Only Fools and Horses' where Delboy's father-in-law identified a pocket marine chronometer invented and made by the 18th century British horologist John Harrison.

The hammer price at auction, around £4m if I remember correctly, was no figment of the scriptwriter's imagination. Some of Harrison's diaries from the 1760s (none written by the man himself and some copies written by his grandson in the early 19th century) fetched a total of £100,000 at Sotherby's London last December. And the premium of originality is not necessarily confined to the earliest mechanical pieces - Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia gives a value of £7,000 for a late 19th century very plain French electric wall clock used to set others. Similar models from the 1920s are worth barely one tenth of that.

Quality - not just in the mechanism but equally in its housing. Nearly all clocks are the product of several crafts; the horologist, the precision metalworker, the cabinet-maker, founder or stonemason (cases), the jeweller, gilder, glassmaker and potters (for the dials and other details). As with all multi-craft or multi-component antiques, the value of a clock is strongly influenced by the weakest. Thus the qualities of the dial (clarity and condition), case (marble rather than slate, solid wood rather than veneer) and any decorative features such as statues or finials (bronze rather than spelter) combine to determine the desirability and, therefore, the value of the whole.

Fashion - art deco, art nouveau and honest country pieces are just as much the in-thing in the clock world as they are in mainstream antiques. Viennas are also in vogue at present.

Originality of the components - the most important consideration with longcase clocks according to world authority of British clocks, specialist dealer Brian Loomes, of Pateley Bridge. Does the dial match the movement and then does the clock match the case? Brian's other advice to prospective customers is refreshingly straightforward - "Set your budget and go for what you feel comfortable with". You can't argue with that.

TIME IS MONEY

Up to £100 will buy you a late 19th century 'black' or 'Belgian' marble (euphemism for slate) timepiece (a clock that doesn't strike) or an early to mid-20th century striker. Up to £300 will buy a 19th century slate striker - possibly a 'garniture' (a set including decorative ornaments, typically a pair of urns).

Around £1,000 can buy a seriously good 19th century marble, porcelain, mahogany, tortoiseshell or bronze cased clock - often with an award-winning French movement. Beyond this point it is the case and ornamentation that seem to take over. The majority of clocks listed and illustrated in Miller's Clocks and Barometers Guide (1997) at several, sometimes tens, of thousands of pounds are magnificent works of art where the timekeeping capability seems incidental. The dearest I have seen was 550,000 French francs (£60,000) in a shop in Paris last September. A garniture in exquisite Sevres porcelain, it would have been worth nearer £600 in slate. But even that one appears modestly priced against the Linke (a Parisian maker) bronze on rosewood on marble clock, dated 1900, which sold for £300,000 (including premium) at Piasa's auction sale in Paris on March 26.

The ability of the French to produce excellent movements at a fraction of the cost of their competitors had a dramatic effect on the British clock industry throughout the 19th century. For reasons of scarcity and patriotism, rather than quality itself, the above prices should be doubled, even quadrupled, for fine British examples.

Around £1,000 can buy a provincial longcase clock - Victorian and earlier. But at that price you should expect some restoration. And be careful to enquire whether the case and movement started life together. Anything up to £10,000 can buy a seriously good longcase clock, with prices going into the tens of thousands of very fine examples as early as the seventeenth century.

REPAIRS AND SERVICING

The cost of repairs and servicing are absolutely crucial when considering the economics of lower-priced clocks. An attractive marble clock may appear a bargain at around £100 but be prepared to double the cost to you if it needs a ful clean and service - even more if a key component needs replacing (perhaps £10 for a mainspring). The thing to do when considering a purchase, particularly at a fair or auction, is to check that there is tension in each of the springs and that the clock makes some sort of noise at the half or full hour (it needn't be a chime, nor does the number of thuds need to match the time displayed). Another thing to watch out for is damage to any ceramics or enamel - particularly the dial. Restoration to an enamel clock dial will cost around £100 and, detectable more often than not, reduces the value by around a quarter. Although those checks are no guarantee of a sound movement, they go a long way to avoid clocks in need of costly repairs.

According to local dealer, repairer and restorer Brian Stephen, of Menston, clocks should be serviced every five years - although many people store costly problems for the future by leaving it until the clock grinds to a halt or goes haywire. Brian, a graduate in mechanical engineering and Associate of the British Horological Institute, defines repairs and servicing in very simple terms - "to remove wear".

The products of Brian's work may be seen, with him, at the monthly Sunday fairs at The Old Swan, Harrogate. Alternatively, he may be contacted at his workshop on 01943 879585 and will be pleased to offer help and advice on repairs and servicing.

FURTHER READING

Two of Brian Loomes 19 books on the subject, 'Antique British Clocks - A Buyer's Guide' (Robert Hale, £18.25) and 'A Concise Guide to British Clocks' (Barrie and Jenkins, £9.99) may be ordered from bookshops or obtained directly from him (01423 711163). Miller's Clocks and Barometer's Buyer's Guide (£18.99), to which Brian has contributed, is a good catalogue for starters and contains a useful glossary and background information. As with all subjects, clocks are well covered (15 pages) in Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia (£40 - but currently available at £15 from Just Books, Otley!).

AROUND AND ABOUT

The major event of the month is the 25th Harrogate Antique and Fine Art Fair at Harrogate International Centre from April 29 to May 2 - opening at 11am each day, (varying closing times).

With 78 dealers and a furniture dateline of 1890, it promises to be the major spring event.

Alongside those are two fairs on Sunday, May 2, at Cedar Court and The Old Swan Hotel, in Harrogate. This is the last event at Cedar Court before Chatsworth Fairs' summer break, although organiser Marie Platts is considering extending the run next year. Abbey Fairs' Old Swan runs throughout.

Those of you heading for the Pennines that day might visit Mytholmroyd Village Hall, where Elliot Fairs run their montly event - one of the few one-day events with strict no new or repro policies. The major event running the whole Bank Holiday weekend is at Wetherby Racecourse, 250 stands. Great Northern, 700 stands, are at Harrogate again on May 7 to 9. High spots of the later May Bank Holidays are the racecourses of York (Monday, 150 stands) and Doncaster (Sunday/ Monday, 200).

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.