Design
This 1960s anniversary clock features an unusual lantern-shaped case made of gold-colored metal and transparent glass panels. Its gently sloping roof is decorated with curved ornamental elements and a small finial. The glass sides reveal the movement and the torsion pendulum below.
The round, silver-colored dial has Roman hour numerals, gold-colored hands, and the “Schatz” signature. The number “400” refers to the clock's extended running duration. The four pendulum weights beneath the dial, curved brass supports, and rectangular base give the clock an especially delicate appearance.
Technology
The idea of the anniversary clock goes back to Johann Anton Harder. Together with clockmaker Lorenz Jehlin, he applied for a patent for a design using a torsion pendulum. The application for German Imperial Patent No. 2437 is dated 16 September 1877.
Inside is a mechanical anniversary clock movement with a torsion pendulum. The pendulum rotates slowly around its vertical axis; this energy-efficient design allows a long running time between windings.
Manufacturer
Jahresuhrenfabrik – August Schatz & Söhne
Triberg
· Black Forest – Baden-Württemberg
· Germany
The history of the Jahresuhrenfabrik in Triberg began in 1881, when clockmaker August Schatz took over the equipment of a failed clockmaking workshop and began producing regulator clocks. Soon afterwards, he turned to the then-new anniversary clock with a rotating pendulum.
The idea for these clocks originated with Johann Anton Harder. His design used a slowly oscillating torsion pendulum that required little driving energy, but it was difficult to put into reliable practice. August Schatz and his employees further developed the design until it worked reliably. The first twelve anniversary clocks were sold in March 1882.
This marked the beginning of a success story in Black Forest clockmaking. The so-called 400-day clocks needed winding only about once a year. In 1884, the company became Jahresuhren-Fabrik AG. It later operated under various names and became known worldwide as Jahresuhren-Fabrik GmbH August Schatz & Söhne.
Alongside its famous anniversary clocks, the company made regulators, wall, kitchen and cuckoo clocks, as well as travel alarm clocks. Its clocks were exported in large numbers and found homes around the world.
During the twentieth century, the product range changed. Battery-powered movements and marine timepieces grew in importance alongside traditional mechanical clocks. The company's ship's clocks and instruments in the Schatz marine ranges became particularly well known.
Competition from electronic clocks and inexpensive quartz clocks placed traditional clockmaking under increasing economic pressure. In 1986, the company filed for bankruptcy.
The history of the Jahresuhrenfabrik has not been lost. Historical company records, patents, trademarks and order books are now held by the Baden-Württemberg Business Archives. The surviving clocks recall a company that decisively shaped the development of the German anniversary clock.
Sources:
https://blog.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de/2019/01/03/jahresuhr/
https://www.wa-bw.de/jahresuhrenfabrik-gmbh-aug-schatz-soehne-triberg/
