Harmon Estate Clocks, Part 4

Cuckoo Clocks

I haven't had a chance to really look at the cuckoo clocks yet, but there are at least five that I've found so far. Here are four of them.

Posing for their photographs on a very nice couch.

A clock with two cuckoos.

Movement and bellows for the two cuckoos.
The bellows are stamped "West Germany" in purple ink.

The cuckoo on the left needs some help.

This cuckoo clock is having a tough time, with various bits and pieces
slipping out of place. I think we've all had days like that.

A clock made by the American Cuckoo Clock Company. The hands and Roman numerals
look like Bakelite, but could be some other type of plastic.

The cuckoo and a detail of the hands and numerals.

The back of the clock, with the remnants of the label.

Movement and bellows. The bellows are stamped "West Germany" in purple ink.

The American Cuckoo Clock Company was based in Philadelphia. There's not too much reliable information about the company that I've been able to find online, so I've pieced together their history from old articles and advertisements. They were in business from 1895 through the 1960s or '70s. They imported movements and bellows from the Black Forest region of Germany and housed them in rustic wood cases like these, made in Philadelphia.

The American Cuckoo Clock Company began in 1877 as Breitinger & Kunz, a partnership of Louis Breitinger and Gustav Kunz (American Jeweler, 1 March 1905). The company was a general watch and clock importing and jobbing business. The partners were also family: Breitinger was married to  Kunz's daughter. Both men were immigrants from Wurtemburg, Germany.

Louis Breitinger (1841-1904)
Illustration from his obituary in American Jeweler, 1 January 1905.

In 1895, they purchased the Boss Company's stock of cuckoo clocks, bringing Charles Boss on board as a partner for the newly formed American Cuckoo Clock Company. Kunz continued to focus on the general watch and clock business until his death in 1899. Breitinger and Boss focuses on the new cuckoo clock business.

The company's first factory was located at 37 and 39 North Ninth Street in Philadelphia. They relocated to a new building at Fairmount Avenue, Randolph and Fifth Street sometime around 1900.

Advertisements for the company's cuckoo clocks placed an emphasis on their domestic manufacture. An ad in the November 1, 1904 issue of American Jeweler disparaged imported cuckoo clocks, implying that it was all but impossible to have an import repaired: "The man who made them in Germany knew they were 'never coming back.'" The ad also emphasized their ability to restock the retailer's store within a couple of days, ensuring that they would be able to fill their Christmas orders.

The Den Clock, a specialty line of the company's cuckoo clocks.
(American Jeweler, 1 Oct 1904)

The primary market for the cuckoo clocks seems to have been Christmas gifts. An advertisement in the September 1, 1902 issue of American Jeweler stated that "There's a retail jeweler in Philadelphia who sells between a half dozen and a dozen of our Cuckoo Clocks daily all year 'round, and during the Christmas holidays his sales average fifty a day."

The American Cuckoo Clock Company was incorporated in 1905, following the death of Louis Breitinger in 1904. Louis A. Breitinger, his son, was President and General Manager, Charles Boss was Vice President, Henry Borchers (son-in-law of Gustav Kunz) was Treasurer, and H. B. Stuetzer was Secretary. The widows of Lewis Breitinger and Gustav Kunz, Julia Breitinger and Regina Kunz, were the principal stockholders (American Jeweler, 1 March 1905).

Julia Breitinger was actively involved in the Philadelphia clock and jewelry business, principal owner of the family's wholesale and retail jewelry business, Breitinger & Sons, at the time of her death (American Jeweler, 1 October 1913).

The company's clocks gained rapidly in popularity during the first decade of the 20th century. Sales offices were established in Chicago and Brooklyn.

In 1911, the President and General Manager of the American Cuckoo Clock Co., Louis A. Breitinger, invented a power brake for his Philadelphia factory (American Jeweler, 1 July 1911). The device allowed the entire department's machinery to be shut down within 5 seconds. Breitinger was inspired by the horrible factory accidents he had read about at other factories. He improved on existing factory brakes by making it possible for anyone at any location to activate the shut down.

In 1913, the American Cuckoo Clock Company began supplying movements, weights, dials, and so on to amateur case makers (American Jeweler, 1 March 1913). There apparently was a large demand from amateurs and jewelers who preferred to make their own cases. The company even published a set of blueprints for DIY cuckoo clock cases in 1916 (American Carpenter and Builder, October 1916).

A 1924 Q&A section (the "Information Bureau") of American Jeweler noted that repair of the cuckoo clock bellows usually involved buying replacement bellows, rather than attempting to repair the leather. The article also noted that the American Cuckoo Clock Co. was owned by Breitinger & Sons, Inc., 37 N. 9th Street, Philadelphia.

A 1968 article in the Wall Street Journal (6 Feb 1968) hinted at the demise of the American Cuckoo Clock Company. Charles Pfaltzgraff, the last remaining employee, mournfully noted that "young people today" had no interest in cuckoo clocks. According to the article, the company stopped manufacturing cuckoo clocks around 1948, focusing instead on repairing clocks. Pfaltzgraff was also quoted as stating that "a few years ago, we had 18 people here. Now it has dwindled down to just little old me. And when I go, that's it." Pfaltzgraff died in 1978.

A 1946 classified ad in the New York Times (29 Nov 1946), posted by the company's Brooklyn office, also hints at the demise of American Cuckoo Clock's manufacture of clock:

CUCKOO clocks, genuine hand-carved, 8-day; just a few left; $40 plus tax; circular on request. American Cuckoo Clock Co. 96 Stockholm St. Bklyn, GL 5-0936.

The fourth cuckoo on the couch.

The cuckoo.

The movement, which is stamped "Made In Germany."