I normally post on the American Pocket Watch forum but I have this question pertaining to clocks.

I recently purchased two Elgin clocks. One is a 400 day mechanical anniversary clock made in West Germany by Haller. The other is a spring driven 31 day regulator type wall clock made in Korea. I am curious roughly when they were made. I'm sorry but I'm not able to post pictures.

Both clocks are signed "Elgin" on the dial in the same lovely script which suggests they were made about the same time.

The anniversary clock is marked "West Germany" on the dial, indicating it was made after World War II. The regulator has some small plastic parts which also suggests post war manufacture, but its dial is marked "Korea" (not "South Korea").

My guess is these clocks were made in the fifties or sixties. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry, I have several layers of hardware, software, and learning curve issues to overcome before I can post pictures.

The anniversary clock is just like the one in the following E-bay link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-El...&hash=item3cb7b723d4

These German made, mechanical clocks are fairly common on E-bay. They have interesting movements with an S-shaped mainspring that winds on two shafts and magnetic support for the pendulum. They shouldn't be confused with the more common quartz movement models.

The regulator's movement is not original to the case and is not particularly noteworthy. I bought the clock because it's pretty and it fits in nicely with my decor. The signature on the dial matches the one on the anniversary clock.

I have a number of Elgin pocket watches and am quite familiar with the company's history. I know they diversified into clocks later in the game and Elgin clocks are still being made but not by the Elgin company.

I'm just curious to find out, in a general way, where these clocks fit into the picture.

Chris, your Elgin (made by Haller) clock appears to be what is normally called "the german time bomb" due to the way the mainspring operates. Use extreme caution when attempting to wind or do any service on this clock. Before you do anything, do a web search for "german time bomb clock" and you should read the entries carefully to be safe with this clock.

Hope this helps,

Curly

Curly,

Thank you for the heads up. I've heard warnings that the Haller mainspring can be dangerous but I assumed they only applied when disassembling the clock. I had no idea it could just "blow up" for no apparent reason.

After doing the search you suggested, I understand how the plastic hub can deteriorate over time until it suddenly lets go. If the reverse coiled mainspring has enough stored energy to break through its brass housing and shatter the glass dome, I don't want it in the house.

I am a person who is not easily spooked by such warnings but I'm taking this one seriously. It's a pity, too, because this is a fascinating clock to watch. I'm going to put it on the top shelf in the garage, out of harm's way, for a year and let it unwind. While it's doing that, I'll figure out what to do with it.

Thanks, again.