Clocks, Watches/origin of clock

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Expert: - 8/30/2009


Question
dear john ,
i have a mantel clock with the word schwebegang  on the face and f h s  stamped on the inside .ithink its german dated from about
19 46 onward  .can you give me any info on this clock.it has a round face ona 18 inch basewith rounded ends .all wood casing
                     regards ron

Answer
Ron, I do not have any specific information on the origin of your clock.  The FHS indicates the manufacturer, Franz Hermle and Sohn.  I know that Kieninger clocks had the name Schwebegang on some of their clocks, so Schwebegan could be a town or area in which the factories were located.  FHS was founded in 1922 and Franz Hermle died around 1955.  His sons continued to run the company and some part of the manufacturing division took on the name Hermle, I think in the late 1950's or early 1960's.  There movements had a double digit number (the last two numbers of the year) above the name designating the year in which the movement was made.  In 1988 they changed from numbers to alpha characters, such as  A=1988, B=1989, etc.  I hope this helps a little.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama

Clocks, Watches

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John Newman

Expertise

As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.

Experience

One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.

Organizations
Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee

Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.

Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)

Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama) Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)

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