Is this an original Kern dial ?

[zmora]

Hi Guys,

could you please tell me if the dial in this clock is original ? Was Kern making the dials like that ?



Do you know when was the clock with such dial made ? Does anyone have its catalogue picture ?

Regards,
Mike

 

[John Hubby]

Hi Guys,

could you please tell me if the dial in this clock is original ? Was Kern making the dials like that ?

Do you know when was the clock with such dial made ? Does anyone have its catalogue picture ?

Regards, Mike

Mike, thanks for your inquiry and posting the photo of your dial. I believe it is an authentic Kern dial although most but not all of them have the Kern name on them. Kern's predecessor Kern & Link started using this dial by the mid-1930's, Kern & Söhne continued it from their formation in 1937 and onward (except during WWII) until the late 1960's. Based on what I can see of your clock it could have been made no earlier than 1952 but also later up to the late '60's as already mentioned. If you would post photos of the back of your movement and the complete clock we may be able to date it more accurately. Please remove the suspension guard before taking the photos if one is present.

Perhaps another user may be able to post a catalog photo so we can see that as well.

 

[zmora]

Thank you John. I've just bought that clock and at the moment I only have that one picture. As soon as I get it in my hands I'll post more photos

Regards,
Mike

 

[MartinM]

It'd be nice to figure out exactly which company made this style of dial for all of the manufacturers.
I could be wrong; But, the similarity across all of the makers for the square and diamond dials tells me they were all outsourced from a single entity.

 

[zmora]

Hi,

here you have photos of entire clock:



Of course it has the glass dome. Is now something more to say about this model ?

Regards,
Mike

 

[John Hubby]

Hi,

here you have photos of entire clock:

Of course it has the glass dome. Is now something more to say about this model ?

Regards, Mike

Mike, thanks for the additional photos. The back plate of the movement is illustrated in the Horolovar Repair Guide 10th Edition as Plate 1464A, with a circa date of 1952. Being what we call a "wide plate" movement, your clock would have been made in the 1950's between 1952 and the end of that decade. Starting in 1952 Kern also made a "narrow plate" movement specifically for export to the U.S. to meet a lower cost tariff regulation that classified any timepiece with a back plate width less than 1.77 inches wide as a watch. They continued making the wide plate design for sales to other countries, however the narrow plate design was less expensive to make and Kern gradually replaced the wide movements.

Martin, it is highly likely that third party dial makers produced the dial for this clock and for most of the other makers' clocks as well. Not only this design but virtually all designs used were sourced from dial makers by most manufacturers. Unfortunately we don't have documentary evidence of who made what for these commonly sourced parts. What we do know is that not only dials but hands, bases, pillars, pendulums, louvre cases, glass domes, and much more were primarily made by third party jobbers, with the clock manufacturer focusing on making just their movements.

 

[zmora]

Thanks a lot John !

Regards,
Mike