Design
The brown, figured wooden case has a broad, symmetrical form. The round dial opening sits in a raised, arched central section, with horizontal case wings extending to either side. A shaped moulding forms the lower edge, above two profiled feet. The visible wood grain and warm brown tones define the case.
The light dial is framed by a metal bezel and a domed glass cover. Large black Arabic numerals mark the hours from 1 to 12. An additional 24-hour scale, numbered 13 to 24, runs around the outer edge. Two winding apertures sit below the central hand arbor. The blue hands stand out clearly against the dial.
Technology
Inside is a mechanical pendulum movement wound with a key. The chime sounds in a Bim-Bam sequence on three rods: it strikes once on the half hour and on the hour strikes the number of times corresponding to the hour shown.
Manufacturer
DUFA - German Clock Factory Etzold & Popitz
Leipzig
· Saxony
· Germany
The Etzold & Popitz clock factory was founded in Leipzig in 1864. It was initially located at Reichsstraße 45 and moved to Querstraße 6 in 1882. In addition to clocks, the company made mechanical musical instruments and music boxes. One well-known example is the Lipsia carousel, a music box made around 1903 and exported to the Orient through the distributor Popper & Co.
The factory trademark depicted a stylised silhouette of Leipzig’s Monument to the Battle of the Nations, with a clock face and the DUFA name. Etzold & Popitz registered DUFA (“Deutsche Uhrenfabrik”, German Clock Factory) as a trademark in 1920. From 1912, DUFA clock production continued in Schwenningen, while cases were made in Mühlhausen in Thuringia. DUFA Deutsche Uhrenfabrik Leipzig/Mühlhausen merged with Kienzle Uhrenfabriken AG in 1931.
