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FR Mauthe Ceramic Plate Kitchen Clock, c. 1965

I acquired this little FR Mauthe "kitchen clock" from an e-Bay seller in November 2015. There was not a lot of information known about it but the colors match my 1930's kitchen table and I thought it was cute, and the price was reasonable so now I have it.

The movement is s simple pendulum regulated spring powered 8-day clock movement with a recoil escapement. The pendulum is solid brass with a round rod and ending in a nice brass hook. The pendulum bob is held by a screw and is moved up or down the rod to regulate the clock. The little brass movement has the FR Mauthe logo style and the number 18 on the back plate. The logo suggests that this movement was made after 1946. The movement is enclosed in a round cylinder composed of pressed wood particles and covered in the back by a black metal cover. The ceramic front plate is held on by three wood screws which pass through the movement mounting legs to secure everything in place. There is a hairline crack in the glazing at the lower screw hole which is invisible from a few feet away. There is a number "6511" on the back of the ceramic plate which I believe is the date code for November 1965. There is another mark in front of the number. I can find no evidence that this movement is not original to this clock but it is curious that the arrow on the of the clock indicating the winding direction points in the wrong direction as this movement winds to the right. The Mauthe name is found only on the movement leaving one to wonder whether FR Mauthe made the clock or supplied the movement to an unknown maker.

The little movement is very well made for this type of clock and only required cleaning and oiling to set it running in good order. The mainspring and barrel assembly are a bit unusual in that the barrel is turned by the key to wind the spring from the outside instead of the more conventional design where the winding arbor winds the spring directly from the inside. The design works fine but does present a bit of difficulty during disassembly and removal of the spring.

Any additional information about this clock, its maker, or why the winding direction arrow points in the wrong direction would be appreciated.




Not for sale at this time

The information on this page is believed to the writer to be correct at the date of posting but is presented with no guarantee expressed or implied. Pictures were a true representation of this clock at the time of posting but may not be current. Please contact me if you believe that any of the above information is incorrect, or if you wish to share additional information, or discuss this clock.

Unless otherwise credited, the pictures and information on this page are the property of Robert H Croswell & Greenfield Clock shop, 4180 Main Street, Trappe, MD 21673 and may not be sold or used for commercial purposes without permission. © 2016
email:  bobby@greenfieldclockshop.com