Emperor Clock Company
An Alabama company that let woodworkers build their own grandfather clocks from kits, and that now sells clocks and parts as part of Hermle North America.
A clock company built on kits
The Emperor Clock Company says it began in Fairhope, Alabama, in 1969, designing and making do-it-yourself kits for wooden clocks and furniture. Its idea was simple: sell the parts of a grandfather clock to people who wanted to put one together themselves.
Mark Headrick, a clock repairer who has posted Emperor catalogs and setup instructions on his site, abbeyclock.com, says the kits let hobbyists build a clock for much less than a finished one cost at the time. He adds that he has seen many Emperor clocks and expects they were popular. His page walks through setting up an Emperor floor clock step by step, with notes on parts such as the suspension spring, the chime rods and the moon dial.
What was inside an Emperor clock
According to Headrick, the company built clock cases in Fairhope and fitted them with German mechanical movements, most of them made by Jauch or Hermle.
The catalogs he reproduces date from about 1973 and show models numbered 100, 110, 120, 200 and 300. Buyers could order a kit and finish it at home, so two Emperor clocks of the same model may not look alike: the stain, the fit of the joints and the care taken in setting up the movement all depended on whoever built it.
That is worth keeping in mind when you look at one today. The movement tells you what kind of mechanism is inside, while the case tells you about the person who assembled it.
See also: the anatomy of a tall-case clock on OnlineClock.app.
How to identify an Emperor clock
Start with the dial, the case and any paperwork. Look for the Emperor name and for a model number, especially if the original kit instructions or a catalog page have stayed with the clock. Because owners finished the cases themselves, markings vary, and a missing name does not rule out an Emperor origin.
The movement is often the more reliable clue. Open the side or back panel and look over the movement plates for a maker's name, trademark or number. Because Headrick reports that most Emperor clocks used Jauch or Hermle movements, either name would fit an Emperor origin.
That movement number matters for repairs. Emperor's current site sells replacement movements and offers a chart for converting Emperor movements to their Hermle equivalents, which a repairer can use to look for a current match for a worn-out original. The site also has clock tutorials and lists a customer service phone line.
See also: the main parts of a mechanical clock movement on OnlineClock.app.
Emperor today
Emperor did not disappear. Its website now describes it as the retail division of Hermle North America, based in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, and says it still produces grandfather clock cases and sells clock kits, woodworking plans, finished clocks and parts.
For owners of older clocks, the parts range is the useful part. The site lists movements and movement kits, weights, pendulums, hands, dials, suspension springs, keys and cranks, and gongs and chime rods, along with conversion charts for Emperor, Seth Thomas and Urgos movements.
Hermle says it expanded into the United States in 1977, setting up a manufacturing and distribution site in Amherst, Virginia, where it builds some wooden cabinets, including grandfather clock cases, and that this facility distributes Hermle clocks and movements across the United States, Canada and Central America and runs its retail clock website, Emperor. Neither company says when Emperor became part of Hermle, and we could not confirm the date.
Questions people ask
Is the Emperor Clock Company still in business?
Yes, as a brand. Emperor is now the retail division of Hermle North America in Virginia. It sells clocks, clock kits, woodworking plans and replacement parts, and says it still makes grandfather clock cases.
Who made the movement in my Emperor grandfather clock?
Usually a German maker. A clock repairer who has seen many Emperor clocks says most used movements by Jauch or Hermle. Check the movement plates for a maker's name and number, which helps when ordering parts.
Why do Emperor clocks of the same model look different?
Emperor offered its clocks as kits for people to build themselves, so the stain, the joinery and the setup depend on the person who built the clock.
Keep exploring
Sources
- About Us (Emperor Clock Company)
- Emperor Clock Company: catalogs from 1973 and setup instructions (Mark Headrick, abbeyclock.com)
- About Us (Hermle North America)
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