Dorrin K Mace, Horologost

Dorrin K Mace, Horologost
The Clock Man in a pensive moment

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Mauthe Clock Company



In 1844 Friedrich Mauthe and his wife Marie (Kienzle) founded a company in Schwenningen, Germany to produce watch parts.  By the end of the 1860s Mauthe began to produce their own wall clocks and movements.  Some were produced through the network of cottage clock industries or so called "Gewerblern", others were produced in a mass production industrialized way.  The Mauthe sons Christian (1845-1909) and James (1847-1915) took over in 1876.  In 1886 Mauthe Clock began manufacturing its own spring.
 In 1899 a case factory was added, by 1900, 1000 employees were on the payroll. In 1915 Mauthe added their own sawmill and milling shop. In 1923 the year of inflation made competition for Mauthe tough. In 1930 2000 workers produced 45,000 clocks and watches a week. By 1923, 60% German clocks exported to London were Mauthe.
Around 1900, alarm clocks, pendulum wall clocks, grandfather clocks, office clocks and "Buffet clocks" were offered.   The number of employees at that time went up to about 1,100 people.  In 1904 the 3rd generation took over (Eugene Schreiber (1877-1939) - son of Christian Mauthe, Dr. Fritz Mauthe (1875-1951) - son of Jacob and Mauthe Alfred (1879-1911) - son of Jacob Mauthe.  In 1925 Mauthe announced a new trademark.  It shows a right-looking eagle with outstretched wings, holding in its talons a three-part round plate with the letters F, M and S.
 In 1970, Mauthe struggled for survival, and in 1975 the company was in receivership and forced to close in 1976.

c. 1925 trademark                             


 

c. 1900 trademark                                                          

 

Typical Mauthe  c. 1928 floor clock                                                            

46 comments:

  1. I enjoy reading your writings. May I ask, does Mauthe clocks still being produce these days? I often see grandfather clock with mauthe brand on the dial face being sold in local clock shops, and when asked, the seller describes the clocks are all new, the movements are from Germany and the casing are constructed from Thailand. Can I trust the seller? Anyway I am from Malaysia. Thank you. Zul

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No closed in 1976. This is pointed out in the final sentence of the post.

      Delete
  2. I have a F mauthe W502 movement. Do you set the time by moving the hands in the clockwise direction?

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  4. I have a small Mauthe Mantel clock. Movement no. W 560. Keeps perfect time. Any idea when it was made please. Lesley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Send your clock photo to my direct email 
      pineknoll@zoominternet.net

      I will need a photo of the front, back and of the movement.  With these photos I should be able to provide some history and current value for your family treasure.

      Thank you,
      Dorrin K Mace, Horologist, Certified Antiques Appraiser
      Pine Knoll Clock Shop
      Pine Knoll Appraisals
      1749 Mercer Grove City Road
      Mercer, PA 16137-6333 USA

      Delete
  5. Hi, I have an old Mauthe inherited from my father who inherited it from his father and i'm not an expert like you, so how can i evaluate it and how can i attach a picture to this script. thanks in advance and i'd really appreciate if you could help me.

    Regards,
    Tamer
    Cairo, Egypt

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  6. Send your clock photo to my direct email 
    pineknoll@zoominternet.net

    I will need a photo of the front, back and of the movement.  With these photos I should be able to provide some history and current value for your family treasure.

    Thank you,
    Dorrin K Mace, Horologist, Certified Antiques Appraiser
    Pine Knoll Clock Shop
    Pine Knoll Appraisals
    1749 Mercer Grove City Road
    Mercer, PA 16137-6333 USA

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a Mauthe wall clock. The original movement is too costly to repair. Do you know how I can find another movement that will be compatible?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have the original movement, please send me a photo as well as a diagnosis of what is wrong and I will see what we can do to repair the original. A replacement is not readily available. Email the photos to pineknoll@zoominternet.net

      Delete
  8. I have a mantle clock of mauthe. The movement stated its number of W-500, any idea of when it is made.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please email a photo to pineknoll@zoominternet.net and I should be able to help you.

      Delete
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  10. Dear Dorrin, I´m Spanish and friend offered me an old Mauthe table clock. I guess is not too old but I´m curious about date and history. Can I send you a picture of it? What is the email address ???
    Many thanks!!!

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    Replies
    1. Certainly you may send me a photo of your clock. Email photos to pineknoll@zoominternet.net

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    2. Hi, could anyone help me finding spares for a W560 movement?

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  11. mauthe alarm clocks are my favorite to collect,,they are very well made timepieces,,gotta love em,,and most other clocks too ofcourse,Brian

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  12. I have a large (about 125mm) alarm clock in good condition ticking away as I write this.

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  13. I have read your blog it is very helpful for me. I want to say thanks to you. I have bookmark your site for future updates. Bus Company Germany

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  16. I have a Mauthe parlor clock on back wall inside the clock left and right and just about center line of the middle of the pendulum are two black nearled knobs on long thin screws. Can anybody tell me their function?

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    1. adjustment screws to allow for an out of level wall ,screw them out to allow clock to be level

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  17. Hi, i have a beautiful old Mathews travel clock, wind up. Someone over wound it and I was going to see if I could fix it. All of the knob came off easily but I cannot figure out how to get the rear housing off. Any idea?

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  18. I have a Mauthe wall clock. 8 vertical hammers, Westminster chime. Model unknown. Numbers on rear plate: 45/100 (lower left and 236696 (lower right and front plate). Any ideas? Thanks. -steve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Send photos to pineknoll@zoominternet.net and we will provide as much info as we can

      Delete
  19. Hi, I am trying to find out about the grandfather clock that I have inherited from my maternal grandmother, who lived in Germany. I have established (I think) that the movement was made by Friedrich Mauthe, but the case seems unique, being open to the front and sides. Reading your posts above, I will take the liberty of sending you some photos by direct email. Thanks, Peter

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  20. So nice to see such appreciation for my family’s legacy. Keep up the good work Mr. Mace

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    1. Hola! Soy Marina Franciosi, desde Buenos Aires. Mi mail es:
      marinafranciosi2013@gmail. com
      Mi bisabuela, Bárbara Mauthe, era hija de Hans Mauthe, quien llegó a Argentina aproximadamente en 1877.
      Tengo entendido, que antes de venir, vendió su parte de la fábrica de relojes y todos sus bienes, en Schwenningen.
      Creo que su origen, era Villingen.
      Conoces el árbol genealógico de los Mauthe? Me gustaría tener esos datos. Yo puedo aportar todas las historias de los Mauthe venidos a Argentina. Muchas gracias! Marina Franciosi Moyano Schiaparelli Araujo Mauthe.

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    2. Hola! Soy Marina Franciosi, desde Buenos Aires. Mi mail es:
      marinafranciosi2013@gmail. com
      Mi bisabuela, Bárbara Mauthe, era hija de Hans Mauthe, quien llegó a Argentina aproximadamente en 1877.
      Tengo entendido, que antes de venir, vendió su parte de la fábrica de relojes y todos sus bienes, en Schwenningen.
      Creo que su origen, era Villingen.
      Conoces el árbol genealógico de los Mauthe? Me gustaría tener esos datos. Yo puedo aportar todas las historias de los Mauthe venidos a Argentina. Muchas gracias! Marina Franciosi Moyano Schiaparelli Araujo Mauthe.

      Delete
    3. Thank you for the kind words, I am honored that you have read and shown interest in my blog.

      Delete
  21. Alguien sabe quienes fueron los hijos de Friedrich Mauthe? Mi tatarabuelo, Hans Mauthe, llegó a Argentina circa 1877, con su esposa y 10 hijos. Según historias de familia, vendió su parte de la fábrica de relojes Mauthe.Se quedaron en Argentina, tenían un gran negocio de importación, y traían a Buenos Aires los relojes Mauthe, gramófonos, y aparatos raros. Vivían en Olivos, en una casa gigantesca, que se demolió y loteo, pues el terreno era enorme. Su hija, Bárbara Mauthe, fue una de las primeras mujeres médicas en Argentina (mi bisabuela).
    Viajaban todos con frecuencia a Alemania.
    Gracias a quien pueda aportarme datos!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Alguien sabe quienes fueron los hijos de Friedrich Mauthe? Mi tatarabuelo, Hans Mauthe, llegó a Argentina circa 1877, con su esposa y 10 hijos. Según historias de familia, vendió su parte de la fábrica de relojes Mauthe.Se quedaron en Argentina, tenían un gran negocio de importación, y traían a Buenos Aires los relojes Mauthe, gramófonos, y aparatos raros. Vivían en Olivos, en una casa gigantesca, que se demolió y loteo, pues el terreno era enorme. Su hija, Bárbara Mauthe, fue una de las primeras mujeres médicas en Argentina (mi bisabuela).
    Viajaban todos con frecuencia a Alemania.
    Gracias a quien pueda aportarme datos!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I enjoyed reading all these posts and the short history of the Mauthe Clock Company

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  24. I have a german F. Mauthe musical mantle carriage clock can you tell me how much they go for?

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    1. Kindly forward photos to: pineknoll@zoominternet.net and I will provide a going rate for your clock.

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  25. I would like to send you pictures from my Old clock.To know how old is and how much I can got for it?What E-mailI can send?

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  26. I have a Mauthe wall clock rather large and old, one can tell it was hand made and carved. I have it apart at the moment and will send you some pictures, perhaps you could give me an idea of age and value. The only thing I see wrong with the works is the right (from front) click spring is broken. Thanks for all of your interesting posts and answers.

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    1. I would be happy to provide you with as much information as I can. You can email the photos to me direct at pineknoll@zoominternet.net

      Thank you!

      Delete
  27. We have a Mauthe wall clock, maybe one of the last ones made since we bought it around 1976. Last year, a local clock shop cleaned it for us. Since then, when struck, the number one chime (closest to the viewer as you look at the five chimes) does not chime, sounds more like a "knock" as if the hammer rests just a moment too long on the chime when struck. We've been back to the clock shop to fix it, but they say they can't reproduce the sound so they don't know what to "fix." Adding to the frustration, when you turn the hour hand backwards to get the clock to chime, it sounds fine. It's only after having it hang on the wall for a couple of weeks that it begins to "knock," although the clock shop says they did this but never heard what we are absolutely sure we hear. The shop had the clock for a month during this time. Any ideas as to what is happening? Thank you.

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  28. Ooops...meant to say when you turn the minute hand backwards not the hour hand...sorry for that...

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  29. It sounds as if the hammers are out of adjustment. Please email a clip of the hammer striking so I can hear the sound and if possible see it in action. I should be able to then determine the problem and suggest a remedy to the situation. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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