Hermle Clock Movements: Understanding These Clock Details

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm

Every clock has the mechanism that makes it tick, so to speak, and this mechanism is called its movements. Hermle clock movements can be found in every Hermle clock you purchase and can also be found in other quality clocks made by other clock artisans worldwide. Hermle has been creating clock movements for other clock manufacturers for a while now, and these Hermle clock movements can be easily discerned with some of the telltale numbers that Hermle stamps on these parts. While the other clock manufacturers like Miller and Sullivan get to stamp their brands on these parts due to the huge number of clock movements they order from Hermle, these parts can still be distinguished as made by Hermle due to the numbers you can find in the back.

Back Plate Labels

Hermle clock movements can be distinguished with the tags you can see stamped into the movement’s back plate. The back plate of the Miller, Sullivan, and Thomas clocks that you buy often have the tags that Hermle stamped into them. The numbers and other details that you can see on the back plate is composed in a certain pattern that tells you the year it was made, the company it was made for, and the pendulum length of the pendulum part that comes with the clock movement set. There is also a serial number or series of six to seven numbers with a dash in the middle that helps manufacturers tell if the part that they have is made for a chain, spring, or cable-driven clock.

A Look into Hermle Clock Movements

Hermle clock movements can be easily discerned by those who know how Hermle stamps their clock parts with a certain number and name pattern. The number and name pattern always follows a certain outline that can be seen on the back plate in this example:

Howard Miller

451-033

94CM

This example shows you the following details:

77. This first number you see on the details that are stamped in the back plate of your clock movements shows you that the part was manufactured in 1977, hence the two numbers 77. If the part was manufactured in 1980, you will see the number 80 instead of 77 on the back plate.

Howard Miller. The next thing you see on the back plate details is the name of the clock company that had these movements manufactured. In this case, it is fellow clock artisan Howard Miller that had this clock movement manufactured for them.

451-033. These six numbers are what you might call the part’s serial number or distinguishing mark. This helps you further determine what clock or clock type this movement belongs to. This series of numbers helps clock makers and clock repairers find the kind of replacement parts you might need should you require that your clock movement be repaired or replaced.

94CM. This series of numbers and letters shows you the length of the clock’s pendulum shaft. In this example, you can see that the pendulum shaft for this particular movement measures 94 centimeters in length.

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