I have photos of three German 400-day clocks - how old are they?

[The Tranibor]

The 400-day clock in the left is a German Tissnis, the clock in the middle is made of W. Petersen in Schwenningen, Germany, and the clock on the right is a German Hervo. The W. Petersen clock has no adjustement feet under the base as the others. The Tissnis has iron balls in the pendulum instead of lead ones as in the two others and is in the best condition. The cream-white colour of the W. Petersen ball pendulum is coming off in flakes, due to that the previous owner had the backside of that clock exposed to the sun under a long time with the pendulum not running, and it has also a crack on the rim of the dial. The Hervo got a crack in the base and in two balls of the torsion pendulum and the base is also badly scratched by the pendulum (child's play of the previous owner?). Both W. Petersen and Hervo got broken suspension spring and the lower block missing. All clocks are bought in various Swedish flea-markets in Gothenburg for ca. 10 euro for the Tissnis, ca. 8 euro for the Hervo and ca. 4 euro for the W. Petersen.
What I want to know is how old they are and if they are worth to be put in restoration mode.
I have put my photos of them on my friend's Time Machine site and here is a direct link to them:
Three (four) 400-day clocks
(the fourth 400-day clock is a plastic Diana shown in a wallpaper still life above )

 

[The Tranibor]

The 400-day clock in the left is a German Tissnis, the clock in the middle is made of W. Petersen in Schwenningen, Germany, and the clock on the right is a German Hervo. The W. Petersen clock has no adjustement feet under the base as the others. The Tissnis has iron balls in the pendulum instead of lead ones as in the two others and is in the best condition. The cream-white colour of the W. Petersen ball pendulum is coming off in flakes, due to that the previous owner had the backside of that clock exposed to the sun under a long time with the pendulum not running, and it has also a crack on the rim of the dial. The Hervo got a crack in the base and in two balls of the torsion pendulum and the base is also badly scratched by the pendulum (child's play of the previous owner?). Both W. Petersen and Hervo got broken suspension spring and the lower block missing. All clocks are bought in various Swedish flea-markets in Gothenburg for ca. 10 euro for the Tissnis, ca. 8 euro for the Hervo and ca. 4 euro for the W. Petersen.
What I want to know is how old they are and if they are worth to be put in restoration mode.
I have put my photos of them on my friend's Time Machine site and here is a direct link to them:
Three (four) 400-day clocks
(the fourth 400-day clock is a plastic Diana shown in a wallpaper still life above )

 

[kirklox]

#1 KOMA Post WWII
#2 KundO Pre WWII
#3 Schatz Post WWII

The KundO is the most interesting, but all are European and not imported to the US.

 

[The Tranibor]

Thanks for the info, but I've got more precise imformation about my clocks by Sandra Petojevic. Now she has put the information on the site below, along with my photos:
Three (four) 400-day clocks

But - i still want to know more about these clocks ... !

Borim Luneshar

 

[kirklox]

I am sorry, #1 was made by S. Haller sometime after 1952.

 

[kirklox]

#2 is a W. Peterson ca1952. I have never come in contact with one of these.

 

[The Tranibor]

I understand that, because my friend Sandra Petojevic told me that it is impossible to my #2 W. Petersen clock to be post-WorldWar II. It got no adjustment feet and Sandra also saw on the net that in Schwenningen, Germany, is a clockwork-museum and that it has a pendulum clock made by W. Petersen about 1930.
But it is on the other hand very possible that my #1 Tissnis clock is made after 1952, because its ball pendulum looks very modern...

Thanks though for the info - but I want more!
Anyone else?
Borim Luneshar

 

[any400day]

Hello Borim,

Sam (kirkclox) is correct about clock #1 and 2.
Clock #1 is a S. Haller c.1960.
Clock #2 is a Petersen c.1952 as stated in the repair guide. The guide also states that W. Petersen made 400 day clocks between 1952 and 1957.
Clock #3, in my opinion is made by Georg Wurthner. They made 400 day clocks between 1951 and 1957.

Vic

 

[The Tranibor]

Thank you for the info, Vic, but it is interesting that I and my friend Sandra got the same information of the adjustement feet as Sam Kirk "Kirxklox":

The 10th edition of "Horolovar 400 day clock repair guide" gives a pretty accurate mfg year for most of these clocks. Any 400 day clock with levelling feet was made after WWII

This information is found in the discussion forum here:
old ref::kirxklox: The 10:th edition of ...
Is my W. Petersen clock an exception from this rule?
A clock marked "Hervo" on the dial can possibly be made by Georg Wurthner, but is it possible that a clock marked "Tissnis" on the dial is made of S. Haller? Is it then an old relative to the infamous Elgin/Haller German "Time Bomb" clocks?

 

[kirklox]

Posted March 29, 2002 00:08
The 10th edition of "Horolovar 400 day clock repair guide" gives a pretty accurate mfg year for most of these clocks. Any 400 day clock with levelling feet was made after WWII

Page 20 references the leveling feet to appear in 1951. There is no reference to a patent or any real Historical evidence. I personally have not seen a Torsion clock with leveling feet made prior to this date.

S. Haller made many torsion clocks. There are at least 5 different Back Plate designs that I know of. They were mostly inexpensive designed clocks.

The Elgin/S. Haller "German Time Bomb" has two problems. The major problem is that it has no let down system and must be let down similar to that of an Atmos Clock. The other problem is the uncommon design of its Mainspring. It is not a Torsion Clock.

 

[The Tranibor]

Thank you for the info, Sam!
I suspected that the Elgin/S. Haller clock was the black sheep of the torsion clock family !
And it is good to know that this one I have (the Tissnis) is not a "German Time Bomb", but its levelling feet is made of plastic . My Hervo clock has metallic levelling feet, but the W. Petersen has no levelling feet at all and never had any!
Now I have begun to understand: The fact is that every torsion clock with levelling feet is made 1951 or later, but is it so that torsion clocks without levelling feet also can have been made after 1951?
And if it is so, when is the last torsion clock without levelling feet made? (The topic is continuing old ref::here)