Hello Richard,
Thank you for sending in this family heirloom clock to mearto.com for an appraisal.
TITLE:
Stained oak, Art Deco era, mantel clock, spring driven eight day time strike and quarterly Westminster chiming mantel clock, “Atlas Westminster” model, but unsigned on the movement as to the maker, most likely made by Schatz Clock Company, Triberg, in German circa 1930s.
PROVENANCE:
Owned by composer Fritz Luhner-Beda. Bought in Germany pre WW2.
Owned by great grandfather composer Fritz Luhner-Beda
{Fritz Löhner-Beda, an Austrian librettist. Fritz Löhner-Beda, born Bedřich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer. Once nearly forgotten, many of his songs and tunes remain popular today. He was murdered in Auschwitz III Monowitz concentration camp.
Born: June 24, 1883, Ústí nad Orlicí, Czechia
Died: December 4, 1942, Monowitz concentration camp, Poland
DESCRIPTION:
Case: 14" long mantel clock made of stained oak in the Art deco mode as seen in Germany during the 1930s. The base is long, apparently veneered and has s trip of horizontal chrome or Brass running under the dial the length of the lower case. The clock sits on two brass colored angled stick type legs with fuller back feet made of wood. The back of the clock is stained wood with a central wooden door for access to the movement compartment.
Dial: A glazed brass bezel surrounds this two part dial with the cream colored outer ring having applied lacquered brass Roman hour chapter ring, hours being applied to a continuous brass inner ring for stability. The wooden veneered dial center has a gilt pair of skeletonized rococo hands, three spring winding apertures and the name Westminster (for the chime tune) and Atlas above. Atlas had no meaning and the models names were chosen at random. {The German clockmakers did not want the English speaking countries, to which these clocks were often exported to know they were of German origin, feeling the allied World War I countries would not buy them. This was quite common and between the world wars few German clockmakers identified themselves.}
Movement: This is a solid rectangular brass plate movement with tubular pillars connecting the front and rear plates. The posts are secured with screws and nuts at the corners. This is a fairly typical German made movement from the 1920-1940 era, conceived first, I believe, by the giant of the German Clock Companies, Junghans. Most were made to have a pendulum to run the clock (pendulum is a rod with a brass bob that swigs back and forth). What makes this movement different is that it has a balance wheel platform escapement on the back plate of the movement. The presence of a platform escapement means you can carry this clock under your arm, in any position and it should continue to run normally. The only company that I am familiar with that used this method was Schatz & Son (see below).
This movement has a platform –balance wheel escapement and is powered by three barrel springs which run the clock for eight days, cause striking on the hour and quarterly Westminster chiming with a short version in the first quarter hour, and getting longer as each quarter chimes until there is a full strike and full Westminster chiming on each hour. Striking is by five hammers on a set of five rods, one of the rods reserved for the hourly strike and the other four for the Westminster chiming. There is a metal spicule German music box which sits on the left side of the rear movement plate. In the lower right corner of the rear movement plate is a partial word which is illegible to me. The white metal platform escapement sits in the upper center of the rear plate. The black metal two part plate (looks like a boomerang) is to silence the chiming.
CONDITION:
Case: Chipping along the front upper edge. Similar scratches and nicks and bruises along the back of the case. Generally fair to good condition for age.
Dial: Perhaps some damage from humidity in the right upper quadrant otherwise I very good condition,
Movement: Unsigned by the maker and has patchy areas of oxidation throughout the plates.
Overall condition is fairly good.
History of the Schatz Clock Company:
August Schatz partnered with Wintermantel another German clock maker to form a clock business in Triberg, Silesia. August Schatz worked with inventor Anton Harder and together, in 1884, they formed Jahresuhrenfabrik AG (Year Clock Factory), also in Triberg, Germany, with the goal of making an accurate year running clock. They were successful in making the 400 day (Anniversary) clock but it wasn't as accurate as they'd hoped. Harding sold his patent is 1884 to F.A.L. DeGruyter of Amsterdam. Schatz and DeGruyter continued to make Jahresuhrenfabrik clocks but for some reason they allowed their patent to expire.
In 1897 the firm was renamed Jahresuhrenfabrik GmbH, and then in 1923 it became known as August Schatz & Sohne.
Other companies took up the challenge of making the 400 day clock more accurate. The pendulum for the 400 day clock was the reason it didn't need to be wound so often. A (called a Torsion pendulum) allowed it to run much longer between windings then the 8 days most clocks ran. The initial designs called for a flat disk pendulum which then evolved into the 4 ball pendulum that is still used today. The 400 day clocks were especially popular in the 1950s, and the major German makers were Schatz (Aug. Schatz & Sohne ), Kundo (Kieninger & Obergfell) and Kern.
PRICING:
Generally these are inexpensive clocks, and although I realize that it belonged to your relative and a listed composer I am not shown any phot of him with the clock or any papers indicating he purchased the clock. I believe your story 100%, without any doubts, but I am thinking in terms of a buyer who looks at this as a possible purchase. SEE:
https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/289/186248/93664374_1_x.jpg (sold in 2020 for $100, and auctioned as “Antique Schatz Westminster Chime Clock”)
With the story you tell, I can double the price, but I do not know if you will find buyers. The fair market value of your great grandfather’s German clock would be in the range of $200-$250. If you are so inclined, because of the low price of this type of clock, with the tragic family history of your great grandfather, you might just consider (if you do not decide to keep it yourself) donating this clock with your history to one of the several holocaust Museums, which is where it belongs (just in my own thinking, having been lucky enough myself to be born in 1938 in the USA). Thank you for trusting in me for the appraisal and choosing mearto.com for this particular appraisal.
My best,
David