Just an appreciation thread for W&H clocks

[Isaac]

Every time I deal with clocks by W&H, I'm always blown away by their quality (even after collecting lots of clocks for ~9 years). Just superb craftsmanship all around. A little detail I noticed with W&H clocks too is that their steel control levers on the front of the movement are also extremely thick - an area some other companies skimp out on. Lenzkirch, W&H, M.B., and other quality makers are the pinnacle of mass produced fine clockmaking. The chime mainspring is scary to deal with (and you can see the extra large click to deal with winding it).

Here's some fun pics I took before overhauling this massive movement.

 

[J. A. Olson]

Gonna have to turn this into a Black Forest appreciation thread.

The best of the black forest's clock factories - Winterhalder, MB Peerless, Lenzkirch, LFS... many great clocks were made and in many different styles to suit just about any household. It was a balance between unabashed dedication to quality and making clocks that were still accessible to a wider span of markets than just the richest of the rich.

The sporadic complaints made about lack of diversity among manufacturers turn flat when you realize the opulent variety that was offered by just one company. Put the variety from different companies together and you have more clocks than you can count. From simple timepieces to extravagant chimes on combined bells and gongs, they really 'had it all'.

Sadly the depression years and a gradual consumer shift towards 'quantity over quality' is what really killed them all off.

I have a triple chime MB Peerless mantel clock made for the British trade, circa 1930. While not currently in operating condition I can appreciate the sheer quality that went into its construction. I don't have any Winterhalders at this time but there's no denying their amazing quality.

And what about other high quality machinery? Look at this MB Peerless calculating machine:

Peerless Calculating Machine | Smithsonian Institution

www.si.edu