Antique and Vintage Clocks

Jauch was related to one of the oldest Black Forest clock-maker families. The Gerbrueder Jauch company manufactured hall, wall, and mantel clocks and movements for the trade including those that were spring and weight operated. In late 1979, the company fell victim to a curtailed export limiting production. Gerbrueder Jauch GmbH eventually went bankrupt in 1986. The remaining stock was purchased by a leading clock/watch supply house in the USA.

The company was a respected supplier of relatively inexpensive but attractive clocks for the average home. This drop octagon schoolhouse-style clock is a prime example of an inexpensively made clock for the masses.

The clock is 23 inches high, 15 inches across, and almost 5 inches deep, dimensions that are very close to the classic American schoolhouse clock made over 100 years ago. Rather than an oak case which is typically found in antique American clocks, the case for this one is a much cheaper pine.

This clock’s bezel is hinged at the top with a flip-up design rather than one that swings to the right which makes winding the clock a two-handed operation.

The clock has “Western Germany” on the bottom part of the dial and the movement which is also stamped July of 1979.

For all you history buffs, the Berlin wall was erected in 1961, and Germany was finally unified in 1989.

I have worked on Jauch time-only movements in the past but never one with a calendar feature. One interesting aspect is the distance from the dial face to the winding arbour necessitating a long #7 key which I do not have.

This one is not in working order. Laying it down flat will cause the escape wheel to run but once on the wall, it abrupting stops after a swing or two of the pendulum. I suspect the anchor escapement is way off or there is serious bushing wear in the top part of the train.

A friend spotted this clock in a local thrift shop for $1.65. Why so little? Thrift shops deal with a constant flow of donated items so any price charged is pure profit. Vintage quartz clocks usually wind up at the thrift shop but not many mechanical clocks do. This is a good find since there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with the clock save for a scuffed-up case which can be easily remedied with a cleaning and a fresh clear-coat finish.

Unless there is something seriously wrong with the movement such as spring barrel bushing wear that I have seen on other Jauch movements, it should be an easy task to have this clock running again.