A Rare and Unusual Black Forest Sorguhr

This next clock in the collection is a very unusual Sorguhr. This example is different from the traditional Sorguhren in many ways, and at first glance it may even appear to the untrained eye to not be from the Black Forest.

The shield on this sorg is flat brass that has been hand engraved, with a very primitive flower. The whole clock is only 2 7/8" at its largest measurement! It is shown here with a Quarter so you can get a feel for its size.


Although scarcely seen, there are a couple other known examples made by Joseph Sorg with very similar shields. These other examples are also made of flat brass stock, with primitive floral engraving. One example resides in the British Museum in London. This clock can also be seen in the book, "In Die Neue Zeit" Pg 8.
The movement on this Sorguhr is equally unique and we will explain its features here in a moment. The movement is a wood plate, wood arbor movement that is rope drive. The movement has both time and alarm functions. The movement measures in at only 2 3/16" high, 1 7/16" wide, and 1 3/8" deep.The photos with the shield removed lets you see a closer look at this Gem.

The fist thing that is unique about the movement is the alarm trains location. In most Sorguhrn the alarm train is located on the side of the plates where the time train is housed. A small wheel is mounted perpendicular to the rest of the gears. A very simple notched wheel and lever will set and release the alarm at the desired time. On this example the clock maker clearly was experimenting. The Alarm train is located between the plates of the movement, and is in front of the time train. A special cam lever rides a wheel that is notched through the front plate of the movement.A series of pins activate a third hand on the dial to set off the Alarm. A simular set up can also be seen on the Capucine clocks.

We have showed this clock to several experts on Sorguhren in Germany, and they agree this clock is all original and a rare example of Sorguhr.





This next photo set compares this miniature to another traditional sorguhr that we have in our collection (Also a time and alarm variety). You can see the difference in the sizes of the clocks ;)





We are happy to have this little Gem in our collection!