August Schatz took over a clockmaking workshop in Triberg in 1881 and began producing regulator clocks. The company soon turned its attention to anniversary clocks as well. In 1884, it became Jahresuhren-Fabrik AG; later it was known as Jahresuhren-Fabrik GmbH Aug. Schatz & Söhne. In addition to anniversary clocks, the factory made wall clocks, kitchen clocks, cuckoo clocks and travel alarm clocks, exporting its products in large quantities. The company became internationally renowned for its mechanical anniversary clocks with slowly rotating torsion pendulums. These so-called 400-day clocks needed winding only about once a year. From the 1950s onwards, mechanical movements came under increasing pressure as battery-powered movements emerged. The company in Triberg filed for bankruptcy in 1986. Its historical records, including manufacturing documents, patents and factory books, are now preserved in the Baden-Württemberg Business Archives.