German Mantel Clocks

German clock makers are most famous for producing the cuckoo clock but also produced many fine examples of mantel clocks. Seen as pioneers, the Germans began producing mechanical clocks as early as the 1300s. And unlike French and British, clocks made by the Germans were largely constructed of wood with brass inner workings and chains.

Although clocks were produced in Germany during the 1300s and 1400s, most of the clocks found and collected today are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Large numbers of German clocks were brought back from Germany during the second world war by soldiers as they were simply discarded during the conflict or even used as firewood.

It can sometimes be hard to date German clocks as some manufacturers produced clocks to the same specifications for many years, newer clocks were sold with with certificates of authenticity and often confined to a limited number of units produced.

Mantel clocks can be harder to source than other German clocks such as cuckoo or anniversary clocks as at their peak millions of these clocks were produced; but a quick search on eBay returns many results of reasonably priced mantels. Ebay is probably the best source for purchasing clocks as antique dealers often have much larger mark ups due to to the larger overheads of running an antique store. Don't be deterred from buying a clock in non-working order as clock smith may be able to repair the clock at a reasonable price given the value added to a good example of a working clock.