At a Glance: 5 Things That Keep Your Clock Safe in Transit
- 1. The Movement Comes Out — Before any clock leaves for the USA, the weights, pendulum, and often the movement itself are removed and packed separately. This eliminates the biggest risk of transit damage.
- 2. Custom Timber Crating — Every clock is built into a bespoke timber crate, lined with archival foam and padding, sized precisely for that specific clock. No standard boxes, no generic packaging.
- 3. Specialist Antiques Freight Only — We use specialist antiques freight companies with experience in handling large, fragile, high-value items — not general parcel couriers or standard freight services.
- 4. Full Insurance Cover — Every shipment is insured for the full replacement value of the clock, not just the purchase price. If the unthinkable happens, you are fully protected.
- 5. White-Glove Delivery — Our US deliveries are handled by white-glove specialists who bring the clock into your home, unpack it, and position it — not left on a doorstep in a crate.
This rare bridal Mora clock made the journey from Sweden to its new home in the USA — arriving in perfect condition.
Introduction
The single biggest concern we hear from American customers is not about authenticity, price, or even import duties. It is about shipping. “Will it survive the journey?” is the question we are asked more than any other, and it is a completely understandable one. A genuine antique Mora clock is a large, fragile, irreplaceable object that has survived two centuries or more — the idea of entrusting it to a freight company for a transatlantic crossing is, understandably, daunting.
This post explains exactly how we ship Mora clocks safely to the USA — every step of the process, from the moment a clock is purchased to the moment it is standing in your home. We want you to understand precisely what we do and why, so that you can buy with complete confidence.
Step 1: Preparing the Clock for Transit
The preparation process begins as soon as a clock is confirmed for shipment to the USA. The first and most important step is to remove all the components that could move, swing, or shift during transit and cause damage to the case or to themselves.
The movement, weights, and pendulum are all removed and packed separately before the clock is crated.
This means removing the weights — the cast iron or lead weights that power the movement. These are heavy objects that, if left hanging during transit, would swing and impact the interior of the case with every movement of the vehicle. Each weight is wrapped individually in archival foam and packed in a separate, clearly labelled box.
The pendulum is removed next. The pendulum rod and bob are fragile components that can be bent or damaged by vibration, and the suspension spring — the thin strip of spring steel from which the pendulum hangs — is particularly vulnerable. The pendulum is wrapped carefully and packed flat, never upright.
For longer journeys or particularly valuable clocks, we also remove the movement itself from the hood. This is a more involved process, but it eliminates any risk of the movement being damaged by vibration or impact during transit. The movement is wrapped in archival tissue and foam and packed in a rigid box that travels with the clock.
Step 2: Protecting the Case
With the mechanical components removed, attention turns to the case — the painted birch body of the clock that is both its most visible feature and its most vulnerable to damage.
Original painted surfaces like this require careful wrapping and padding to survive a transatlantic journey.
The case is first wrapped in archival tissue paper, which protects the painted surface from abrasion without trapping moisture. Over this goes a layer of soft foam padding, followed by a layer of bubble wrap for additional cushioning. Particular attention is paid to the most vulnerable areas: the bonnet (the top section of the clock, which is often the most elaborately decorated), the waist mouldings, and the feet.
The door of the clock — which is typically glazed — is secured closed and the glass protected with a layer of foam padding taped carefully in place. If the glass is original and particularly fragile, we may remove it entirely and pack it separately.
Step 3: Custom Timber Crating
Once the clock is fully wrapped and protected, it is built into a bespoke timber crate. We do not use standard boxes or generic packaging for antique Mora clocks — every crate is made to measure for the specific clock it contains.
Every clock is crated individually — a bespoke timber case built precisely around the wrapped clock.
The crate is constructed from structural timber with a plywood skin, strong enough to withstand the rigours of freight handling — forklift tines, stacking, and the inevitable bumps of a long journey. The interior is lined with high-density foam, and the clock is secured within the crate so that it cannot shift or move during transit. The separate boxes containing the weights, pendulum, and movement are packed into the same crate, clearly labelled and secured.
The exterior of the crate is marked with handling instructions — “Fragile”, “This Way Up”, “Do Not Stack” — and with our contact details and the destination address. A packing list is attached to the outside of the crate, itemising every component inside.
Step 4: Choosing the Right Freight Partner
The crate is only as good as the company that handles it. We use specialist antiques freight companies with specific experience in handling large, fragile, high-value items — not general parcel couriers, not standard freight brokers, and not any service that cannot demonstrate a track record with antique furniture.
Choosing the right freight partner is as important as the packing itself — we only work with specialists we trust.
Our freight partners use dedicated antiques vehicles — air-ride suspension trucks that minimise vibration — and handle the crate with the care that a 250-year-old antique deserves. The shipment travels from our location to a specialist freight consolidator, where it is loaded into a dedicated antiques container for the transatlantic crossing. On arrival in the USA, it clears customs — we provide all necessary documentation, including the certificate of authenticity that confirms the clock's age and qualifies it for duty-free import — and is transferred to our white-glove delivery partner for the final leg of the journey.
Step 5: White-Glove Delivery to Your Home
The final step is the one that matters most to our customers: the moment the clock arrives at their door. We use white-glove delivery specialists across the USA — companies whose job is not simply to drop a crate on a doorstep, but to bring the clock into your home, unpack it carefully, and position it exactly where you want it.
White-glove delivery means your clock arrives in your home, unpacked and positioned — not left on a doorstep.
The delivery team will unpack the crate, remove the wrapping from the case, and reassemble the clock — rehinging the pendulum, hanging the weights, and restarting the movement. They will level the clock and start the pendulum swinging. By the time they leave, your Mora clock will be standing in its new home, ticking quietly, exactly as it has done for the past two centuries.
Transit times from the UK to the USA typically run between three and six weeks, depending on the freight route and port of entry. We keep you informed at every stage of the journey, and we are always available to answer questions while your clock is in transit.
What Happens if Something Goes Wrong?
In our experience, our packing and freight process is extremely reliable — we have shipped many clocks to the USA without a single significant transit damage claim. But we are dealing with antique objects and long journeys, and we believe in being honest about risk.
Every shipment is fully insured — because peace of mind is part of the service.
Every shipment we make to the USA is insured for the full replacement value of the clock. If damage occurs in transit — however unlikely — you are fully protected. We handle the insurance claim on your behalf and work to resolve the situation as quickly and fairly as possible. You will not be left to deal with a freight company or an insurer alone.
If you have any questions about our shipping process — or if you would like a specific shipping quote for a clock you are considering — please get in touch. We are always happy to walk you through the process in detail and give you the confidence to buy.
Mora Clock — specialists in authentic antique Swedish Mora clocks, shipped safely to the USA and worldwide.