What Makes Kieninger Clocks Unique? The Story Behind the Kieninger Brand
When one looks at Kieninger Clocks, whether it is their grandfather clocks, mantel clocks or wall clocks, one sees the finest timepieces available today, including floor clocks with tubular chimes, nested bells, automata, calendar day and date with moonphase dials, tourbillon clocks, and many others. Some of the clocks, the Kieninger Mozart Clock as but one example, is so special it is made in a Limited Edition. It is pictured here below in a Walnut Case, and is also available in Cherry wood, as well as a Black satin finish case.
Kieninger Mozart Walnut Mantel Clock model 1756-23-01
Some centuries ago, our ancestors went to bed with the last rays of sunlight and got up at cock-crow in the early morning. What gave them orientation was the course of nature, the changing of the seasons and the position of the sun. At the end of the 13th century, when the mechanical wheel clock was invented in a monastery, people did not know that this invention should lead to a completely different consciousness of time in the centuries to follow.
With the beginning of the industrialization, the clock was setting the pace. Just as the wheels of a clock movement work together converting the clock pulse into motion, the working people had to adapt to the machines and work as precisely as a clock. The clock was an instrument to measure working time and efficiency. Speed and piece rates determined the daily work.
Nowadays, the beat of time is even faster: We accelerate by doing several things at the same time. We talk on the telephone whilst surfing the worldwide web. Endlessly blinking displays that show us the time are chasing us through our daily routine. Time has become a short and precious resource. Doesn’t in this high-speed society a wall or table clock seem like a needless relic from a long time ago? But maybe we gain time by pausing for a moment and withdrawing from the time pressure of the presence. The unhurried ticking of a clock creates a homelike atmosphere that makes us relax and enjoy time again.
The combination of precious materials, exclusive design and technical precision make it possible to create tasteful and elegant living accessories of a lasting value. They combine sophisticated technical knowledge with aesthetic pleasure and let us experience “Time in its most beautiful shape”. A slogan which has been valid for the Kieninger clocks for 100 years now. Kieninger is the eldest existing German manufacturer for mechanical clocks.
Kieninger clocks and movements are not only known and revered and collected worldwide, but Kieninger clock movements are used in many of the best made clocks today, including but not limited to Howard Miller Clocks. All mechanical Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks, Wall Clocks and Mantel Clocks have Kieninger Clock movements driving their timekeeping. In fact, Kieninger Clocks GmBH, while a German Company, is part of the USA-based Howard Miller Clock Company, and has been for over 10 years. Having said that, the 2 companies operate reasonably autonomously, and have their own individual models, whether Keininger Clocks or Howard Miller Clocks.