Museum piece

Kundo electronic magnetic pendulum clock under glass dome – late 1960s

Date: Late 1960s
Period: A lighter touch: the 1950s and 1960s
Clock type: magnetpendeluhr
Movement: Electronically controlled magnetic pendulum movement with transistor circuit
Chime: No chime
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Dimensions: 23 cm × 23 cm × 10 cm
Weight: 1200 g

Where it is now Has found a new home

Country USA – Ohio

Design

This late-1960s Kundo electronic combines clean, modern design with the visible mechanism of a magnetic pendulum clock. Its gently curved, rectangular dial has a light-colored face, slender gold-tone hour markers, and distinctive numerals at 12 and 6. Gold-tone hands and the flowing Kundo signature complete its understated appearance.

The movement stands on a broad oval base with a warm brass finish. A clear glass dome protects the clock without hiding its unusual construction.

Technology

The electrically driven pendulum builds on the work of French clockmaker Léon Hatot and his ATO clocks. Kieninger & Obergfell developed its own magnetic pendulum clocks, using a transistor circuit to control the pendulum drive in electronic versions. This eliminated the mechanical switching contacts found in earlier electric pendulum clocks. The dial is marked “Kundo electronic” and “Made in Germany.”