Mercedes clock – not made by the car folks

Posted on by rjoiner2021

Mercedes makes a great car. Do they make clocks? No! Is this Mercedes novelty timepiece a great clock? Read on.

Attractive Porcelain clock
Attractive ceramic clock with time-only movement

This very attractive 30-hour Mercedes ceramic mechanical shelf clock of the Baroque Meissen style (debatable) from the 1970s is more of a novelty item than a clock.

It is a time-only alarm clock movement made by Gebrüder Hauser and marketed under several names one of which is Mercedes. Ceramic clocks on eBay or any other auction sites will reveal the Mercedes name as well as other retail names on similar-looking clocks. For example here is a similarly styled Alana clock. Same casting sans gold detailing.

The Alana, similar to Mercedes but without the gold coloured accents
The Alana, similar to Mercedes but without the gold-colored accents

This Mercedes novelty clock is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or any sign of wear. But is it worth anything? Not a lot.

History of the company

The Gebrüder Hauser clock factory (Die Uhrenfabrik Gebrüder Hauser) was founded in 1923 by Otto and Josef Hauser in Weigheim, Germany. Josef Hauser resigned in 1926 and moved on to form his own company. The company name Gebrüder Hauser then received an additional owner, Otto Hauser. Aside from alarm clocks, clocks with pendulums and chess clock works were produced.

Winder and time set screw on rear of the clock
Spring winder, time set screw and speed lever on rear of the clock

In 1951, the son, Eduard Hauser joined the company. From 1955 onward small affordable alarm clocks and chess clockworks were manufactured. In 1965 Norbert Hauser joined the company and the company name was changed to KG.

The Gebrüder Hauser KG clock factory in Weigheim was eventually closed on 31 July 1998.

Are they common?

There are a number of variants of this clock, mechanical, electrical, and quartz. The mechanical version will command higher prices and is more desirable. Unfortunately, they are throwaway clocks and the cost of servicing would be far more than they are worth.

Nevertheless, it makes for an attractive mantelpiece and as a gift, it is likely the recipient will not keep it wound.