Design
This Hermle mantel clock from the 1960s has an exceptionally wide, dark brown wooden case. The raised, slightly trapezoidal center flows into the two flat side wings through gently curved transitions.
The dial has a cream-colored hour ring with slender brass markers and a dark brown center bearing the Hermle name. Two winding holes provide access for winding the movement. Slender, pointed brass hands complete the design.
A domed glass cover with a brass frame protects the dial. The front opens sideways for winding and setting the clock.
A fine brass trim line runs along the entire front of the case. Four short brass feet lift the clock slightly above the surface on which it stands.
Technology
Mechanical Hermle 140-010 movement with floating balance escapement and Bim-Bam chime on three chime rods. On the hour, the clock strikes the corresponding number of hours; on the half-hour, it strikes once. The striking mechanism can be switched off using a knob on the back.
Manufacturer
Hermle
Reichenbach am Heuberg
· Swabian Jura – Baden-Württemberg
· Germany
Franz Hermle founded the clock factory Franz Hermle & Sohn in Gosheim on the Swabian Jura in 1922. By 1930, it was already among the region's most modern clockmaking businesses. A further production site opened in Reichenbach am Heuberg in 1951, specialising in large clocks and mechanical movements with various striking mechanisms. After Franz Hermle's death in 1953, his sons continued the business. The third generation joined in 1968 and 1974, with Gerd and Rolf Hermle respectively. Hermle North America was established in Amherst, Virginia, in 1977.
Following the insolvency of Hermle Uhrenmanufaktur GmbH in 2009, the clockmaking business was reorganised under Rolf Hermle in 2010 as HUM Uhrenmanufaktur GmbH & Co. KG. Today, Hermle remains a fourth-generation family business. It combines the manufacture of mechanical large clocks and movements with precision-turned components for industries including automotive engineering, mechanical engineering and medical technology. Since 2021, production has been concentrated at the Reichenbach am Heuberg site in Baden-Württemberg.
Company history: https://hermle-reichenbach.de/unternehmen/
