Tick-Talk Tuesday is a special time when I respond to readers’ letters and comments about clock issues, challenges, and recommendations for specific clocks. When the comments and questions are especially complex, I consult with fellow clock enthusiasts within my circle to ensure I offer the most precise and helpful answers possible.
RK writes:
I am working on an almost identical clock movement as the one shown on your website above. It was made by Frederick Mauthe. I have restored the movement, inserted many bushings, etc., and during testing have realized that the movement is gaining an hour a day. I don’t think the pendulum is original and I suppose I am on a quest for a replacement.
Mauthe wall clock
Here is the case. The finial has been re-glued and altered at the top, and that is another story. Here is the current pendulum: it weighs 0.139 kilos; the distance from the top hook to the bottom of nut under the pendulum is 220 mm. The diameter of the bob 100 mm. I believe this is too light and too short, but there is no more room in the case.
Mauthe movement showing 2 critical numbers
Do you know what the correct dimensions are for the original pendulum? (Weight and length)
This movement is now working so well and it would be a pity not to be to use it just because I cannot find a replacement pendulum.
Front of Mauthe movement
Thanks for your time.
RK
My reply:
Hi and thanks for your email, RK. On the back of the movement, on the lower left of the last photo, are two numbers. 34 refers to the measurement in centimeters from the top of the suspension spring post to the bottom of the pendulum regulating nut. The second number refers to the beats per minute. Measure the pendulum you have and compare it to the first number.
Regarding the pendulum’s bob weight, I won’t have access to the clock until mid-September. However, I can get the measurements you need at that time if they’re still required.
I have a growing collection of clocks with upwards of 85 in my collection. My focus is on clocks made in Canada that are entirely manufactured in this country or companies such as Fleet and Forestville, that assembled clocks with foreign/domestic cases and movements. In addition, I have many other clocks that were made in France, Briton, Germany, Austria and so on.
In terms of style, my particular interest is wall clocks. Within my collection, I have 21 wall clocks, the oldest around 1870, and the newest is from the 1930s.
I would like to add one more to my collection but it is sitting in an auction house awaiting my bid. This post will describe my experience bidding on a clock at an online auction. Did I win the clock? Read on and the answer will be revealed at the end of the post.
During pandemic times it is probably safer purchasing a clock online. There remains a risk however. Unknowns are the condition of the case, who the maker is, the state of the movement and what time and money it will take to service it. At this point I only have photos to go on. This is an estate auction and the auction house is located 1 1/2 hours drive from my home.
The clock appears to be a vintage oak-cased German time and strike from about the 1930s. I am guessing Mauthe as the maker since there is no indication from the auction information as to who made the clock. Many German makes have the company name or logo on the dial face; there is nothing on this one. Nevertheless, It looks like a good prospect and I will chance it.
Box clocks were all the fashion in the 1920s and 1930s but those with round tops were less common. Many German tall case or hall clocks of that era had round tops so it is unusual to see a round top on a wall clock. Nevertheless, it is a very attractive clock with simple lines in the Art Deco style.
The three tall panes of beveled glass look good. There appears to be a scratch or a crack on the right hand section of the door about halfway up, but nothing is showing on the inside of the door in that area.
There are no pictures of the movement but one can see the movement seat board thumb screws and the winding arbours in the next shot. The rod gong is visible behind the pendulum rod and it looks like a rod lock at the midway point.
The item description does not say it is running and it does not come with a key. The pendulum is crooked on the auction photo which might mean the connecting hook is broken or it is hooked incorrectly.
This is an online auction called a “Lockdown Live Auction” that, as of this writing, closes in one day.
I have a good feeling about winning this item for four reasons.
One, it is the only clock offered which means that clock collectors will not be drawn to this auction,
There is no reserve bid, the opening bid is $5.00 A reserve is off-putting because auction houses that seldom have clocks for offer, price them higher than they are worth,
There has been no pre-bidding yet and,
It is offered without a key which means that it may or may not be running and might or might not need adjustment or repair. The casual collector might avoid this one.
The auction house allows all bidders to set up a “watch list” and I will be monitoring the bids on this item until the item hits the “auction floor” tomorrow.
A Google search reveals that this style of clock is uncommon but I found one that sold at auction for $100. It was described as an unknown German wall clock.
What would I bid? I am going no higher than $75 but winning it for less would be nice. The final price includes a buyers premium of 15%, 15% sales tax and shipping.
The next day
At 10:30 AM there have been a couple of pre-bids and the clock is now at $12.50. I held off bidding until 8 minutes before it came up for sale at 8:00 PM. At the 8 minute-to point the bidding was $22.50. I placed a “high bid” of $60 which means paying only a small amount more than the next highest bid. Not wanting to get caught up in last second bidding, I walked away from the computer. I was prepared to let it go if I lost the bid.
I returned later to discover that I had won the item for $52.50. With buyers premium, tax, and delivery the final cost is $73.43.
Who is the maker?
The clock arrived. There is no trademark name on the dial face, and nothing on the outside of the case to identify the maker.
The movement sits on a seat board, typical of most German clocks. I released two thumbscrews at the bottom of the seat board and slid the movement out for further inspection. There is no maker’s mark on either the movement or the iron block of the 4-rod gong.
These two shots are the front and back of the rack and snail time and strike movement.
There are two numbers on the bottom right of the rear plate, 43 (length of pendulum rod) and 104, (beats per minute). Using those two numbers and the search terms “German”, “wall clock” and “round top” I conducted a search on the internet and found a matching clock. I compared the design of the plates on mine with the clock I found and it is a Kienzle from the early 1930s or late 1920s.
Who is Kienzle?
Kienzle is a well-respected German clock company that has a long history.
The company was founded in Schwenningen in southern Germany, in the Black Forest, by Johannes Schlenker, in 1822. In 1883, Jakob Kienzle became part of the family by marriage, and took control of the company, becoming its sole owner in 1897.
He revolutionized production by mass-producing individual components and then assembling them. This modern manufacturing approach led to a massive expansion, and by 1939, Kienzle had over 3,500 employees and was making about 5 million wall-clocks and table clocks per year.
The company continued on through the years, changing hands a couple of times and gradually shifted production to wristwatches. It still exits today.
The most distinctive feature of this clock is the 4-rod bim-bam strike. Probably the nicest sound of any striking clock that I have.
I wound both sides and it runs well but the movement is dirty and requires a servicing. Stay tuned for that.
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face, a clock you would like me to profile, my advice on your particular clock concern or a general clock question. For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles for the best possible answer
CL writes:
“Hi Ron,
I was hoping you could help me identify a clock I purchased at an estate sale this weekend for $10. The back of the wall pendulum clock has a intact paper label with a full size standing Ostrich and the letters H H S N. Stamped on the workings is 45/100 and 27583 It is a 4 chime clock.
That is all of the identifying marks.
Any information you have would be helpful.
I did find one post on a site called Worth Point about a clock that had HHS N (Hermann Heinrich Straussj of Nurenberg)
STORAGE AUCTION FIND IN UNIT I WON IN AUCTION! If you search journeymagazine on eBay’s Discussion boards under Watches, Clocks & Timepieces I asked about this antique clock movement with the initials HHS N – and got 2 responses. First is a link that shows HHS N is a very rare clock movement that was part of the historical clock & watch exhibition in Nuremberg 1905 (Below)The 2nd is a link to a Mauthe that had HHS N clock movement in it.A VERY RARE CLOCK MOVEMENT FOR THE COLLECTOR OUT THERE!NOTE: I don’t have a key + I don’t know clock movements, so I don’t know if it works – Ask Any Questions or for more Photos – SOLD AS IS!FROM LINK GIVEN ME ON DISCUSSION BOARD: H.H.S.N. was a mark for the firm of Herm.[ann] Heinr.[ich] Strau [ =ss], of N rnberg. The only information in Abeler’s _Meister der Uhrmacherkunst_, the standard ref. for clockmakers in the German speaking tradions, is “erw. Hist. Uhrenauustell., N rnberg 1905.” In other words, they were mentioned in some connection with the historical clock & watch exhibition in N that year (in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the invention of the pocket watch (so they said) by Peter Henlein aka Petrus Hele. There were lots of firms represented, new and old clocks exhbited, etc. There’s a dozen or so small-print pages on this exhibition in several issues of the 1905 _
Thanks for your time.”
My reply:
“Hi CL
Thank you for coming to my blog.
This is a German “box” clock style from the late 1920s. The letters HHSN stand for Hermann-Heinrich Strauss, Nürnberg. Strauss in German means Ostrich. This company were clock dealers who are thought to have used Mauthe movements (and others) in their clocks. They went out of business in the late 1920s. Your clock could have been made by almost any of the big German firms at the time, Mauthe, Kienzle, Junghans etc. The movement looks like a Mauthe and that makes perfect sense. 45 refers to the length in centimetres of the pendulum (17.7 inches) while the number 100 refers to the beats per minute. 27583 is a production number and the first two digits are likely the year the clock was made.
4 -rods mean the movement will produce a very nice bim-bam strike if the hammers are aligned correctly on each of the strike rods.
It is a clock worth preserving and a steal for the price you paid.
Hope this helps
Ron”
CL replies:
“Ron,
Thank you for this knowledge! I appreciate the quick reply. I look forward to getting it cleaned and hung on our wall.”
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face or a clock you would like me to profile or my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles for the best possible answer
MM writes, “Attached are photos of a clock my mom has. She is downsizing and does not have room for this clock. The key is there and the best I can tell the clock works and chimes. Nobody in the family has an interest. Can you suggest what she can do with this clock.
Jauch wall clock
Jauch, the maker of your clocks, was a German clock manufacturer that made fine German clocks for the masses. Other German makers made higher end clocks but many people bought Jauch clocks for their homes because the price fit within their budget. Jauch sold popular styles of clocks over a number of years but finally folded in the mid 1970s.
Westminster chime clocks can be easily sold online. I would suggest Facebook Marketplace where she could sell locally and would be able to get something in the $125 range.
She could also gift it to a friend or acquaintance.”
Dial showing three winding arbours, a chiming clock
MM evidently reconsidered and decided to keep the clock. MM replied “I’ve decided to keep the clock myself. Are there any precautions needed before movement. Do I have to secure or remove the pendulum, etc.?”
My reply, “Unhook the pendulum. You may want to wrap the pendulum in paper or tissue and place it back in the case unhooked for transport. Make sure the key is inside the case and ensure the door clasp is secure.”
“Thank you for all your help”, MM replied.
Authors’ note
It is a shame that many fine clocks are thrown away or discarded in some fashion. The generation of folks who cherished old clocks are dying off and the newer generation either sees them as irrelevant or they don’t fit the decor. People are now living longer and pass off their possessions to “children” who are already retired and have enough “stuff” of their own.
Family heirlooms are lost forever.
Clocks are the mechanical wonders of a lost era. How many machines do you know work perfectly after 100 years?
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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