Very Rare Antique German Black Forest Lenzkirch Tall Case Clock - Floor Model - Weight Driven

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A Very Rare Find:
Antique German Black Forest Lenzkirch Floor Model Tall Case Clock

Weigh Driven with Chime

An antique … Read more A Very Rare Find:
Antique German Black Forest Lenzkirch Floor Model Tall Case Clock

Weigh Driven with Chime

An antique German Lenzkirch floor model or tall-case clock (often referred to as a grandfather or grandmother clock) is a high-precision timepiece made by the renowned Lenzkirch Clock Factory (Aktiengesellschaft für Uhrenfabrikation Lenzkirch). Founded in 1851 by Eduard Hauser in the Black Forest village of Lenzkirch, it became known for high-quality craftsmanship, precision movements, and ornate mantel, wall, and bracket clocks before closing around 1932.

Antique Lenzkirch clocks are highly sought after by collectors worldwide for their intricate wooden cases and accurate 8-day movements. These rare floor models typically command values between $4,000 and $7,500+ depending on the intricacy of the carved wood case, serial number, and original components.

Antique Lenzkirch floor model and tall case clocks were luxury domestic timepieces used primarily in high-end elite residences, upscale merchant manors, and wealthy administrative offices rather than heavy industrial or rugged commercial spaces.

Primary Locations and Uses:

Elite Private Residences
• Displayed prominently in the grand halls, entryways, parlors, or libraries of wealthy European and international bourgeois homes.
• Administrative & Professional Offices: Placed inside private executive offices, legal chambers, or high-end banking reception rooms as status symbols.
• Grand Hotels & Salons: Utilized as opulent interior decor pieces in public sitting rooms or luxury hotel lobbies during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.
• Institutional Vestibules: Housed in upscale municipal or corporate headquarters where precision timekeeping matched fine architectural woodwork.

Characteristics of Lenzkirch Case Clocks

Residential Focus: The Aktiengesellschaft für Uhrenfabrikation Lenzkirch factory focused heavily on artistic, high-precision movements and ornate, furniture-quality cases (such as carved oak, walnut, and mahogany) tailored for interior decor rather than utilitarian public clock-punching.

Rarity in Form: While Lenzkirch is world-renowned for its delicate bracket, mantel, and Vienna wall regulators, their larger floor-standing models were produced in much smaller quantities and treated as fine art furniture.

This clock meets all the standards of authentication of a Lenzkirch clock: the trademark stamp of a "AGU" monogram above a serial number engraved on the movement’s back plate. Comparing the serial number against production ledger estimates (production ran from 1851 to 1929), keeping in mind that movements after 1 million used a "1 Million" script.

This Lenzkirch clock serial number is stamped "MILLION 920544", and the database indicates that this clock was made in 1921. It has its original key for locking both of the cabinet doors.

This rare beauty is in remarkably good antique condition with normal signs of age and use. There are some small areas on the lower side of the clock where there is damage to the veneer. Those areas can be easily repaired. There is a spot on the very top of the clock, which cannot be seen without a stepping stool or ladder, with evidence of some sort of damage to the finish.

The height of the clock is 78 inches, the width is 26 inches at the widest point, and the depth 14.5 inches.

Please examine the photos for details on its condition. Photos are part of the description.

It runs and chimes, but it probably would benefit from a routine cleaning. We have not run it for any extended period of time, but we have observed nothing that would cause us to expect any problem. It will require care and special handling for moving. See less