Pictures

Korean Stellar 31-day short drop octagon, circa 1970?

This is Korean made 31-day time and strike short drop octagon "school house" clock. The dial is about 10 inches diameter and the case is about 21 inches tall and 14 inches wide. The dial has the name "Stellar" but there is no indicarion who the maker of the clock or movement is other than that it was made in Korea. The case is heavy real plywood with what appears to be a fake oak woodgrain overlay. There is some fading of the color near the top, probably due to prolonged exposure to bright sun light. The gong has a wonderful deep mellow sound that I was not expecting. The dial is very thin aluminum. The hands are painted steel and keyed to the shaft. After replacing a broken click spring and giving the movement a quick cleaning and oiling it is running fine and keeping good time.

The movement is typical Korean from this period and has some inovative design features, but some of the parts are rather cheaply made from thin material. The main springs have a ridge rolled down the center in typical Korean style. The rack & snail strike train is very easy to setup due to the design of the control levers. The pendulum suspension bracket has a spring tension arrangement that allows the pendulum to center itself without looseness in the suspension mount. One of the neatest things about this movement is that the main springs and strike control levers can be removed without disassembling the rest of the clock (see last picture). Some of the steel parts appear to have been cadmium plated and were developing a greenish yellow oxidation typical of old cad-plated plated parts. The wheels and pinions seem surprisingly well made. The movement is a strong runner and was easy to put "in beat".

I normally do not collect "modern" or Korean clocks, so I will probably find a new home for this one after I see how it runs for a while.




Not for sale
(given to a family member)

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