Have regretted owning this clock for almost 20 years since it looked a little ugly and didn't run very well. It is actually an interesting piece of propaganda from Communist China. After much work to bring it back to life it appears to be a rather kitschy find. The clock not only has a second hand, but also has a shaking arm holding the "Little Red Book" in support of Chairman Mao.
The back cover is brass plated on the exterior side and nickel plated on the other side.
The bottom feet are screwed on and help hold the movement in place. If you look at the crystal near where the number 12 is there is a small round sliver of glass missing. This probably happened when someone took the clock apart at some point. This is on the inside of the glass and is not very noticeable. Sanding the edges of the glass increases the chances that the crystal won't chip.
The entire clock exterior has been polished with a paste wax. Some of it still visible on the alarm stop switch.
Left hand side has a spot with missing paint that could be fixed with a little effort.
Right hand side has a couple of tiny spots with missing paint that could be fixed with a little effort.
The keys that wind the clock and alarm are nickel plated and starting to show signs of wear. Has been polished and coated with a clear lacquer. This also includes the posts that hold the ringer bells.
The only thing missing from this picture is the clock dial.
Always thought there was something not quite right about the dial. It looks too shiny and wouldn't lay flat. It also looks like a photograph of the original dial. The newly made dial looks much nicer and is pictured left. The original glass looks like it was cut by hand. It is quite rough, but the edges have been sanded since that would be the weakest part of the glass.
This is the back side of the original dial. It was printed on Kodak Royal Paper. This photographic printing paper didn't come out until 1990, so this can't be the original dial. The clock is most certainly from the early 1970's or late 1960's.
The picture is a little misleading here as it makes the back plate look better than it actually does. It has been polished and waxed. Some of the plating is wearing off, but still looks good.
The interior of the back cover is nickel plated and some of the plating is wearing off. The discolorations seen here is a result of mild corrosion. It has been polished and waxed.
Typically the dial would be stiff enough to be placed within the three notches seen here near the edge of the dial. This was not the case with the old or new replacement dial. They were glued in place.
This is the original condition movement with some light cleaning. The brass was very tarnished and a medium to dark brown. The picture makes it look much nicer than it really was.
The movement is stamped with the number 8108.
This is what the front of the movement looks like after much cleaning and polishing. There are no plastic gears in this clock.
After everything was cleaned and polished the entire mechanism was properly oiled. The balance wheel was not polished since it is so close to the delicate hair spring, but the pivots were oiled.
The main spring on the right and the alarm spring on the left were cleaned with a toothpick soaked in synthetic oil. There was quite a bit of dirt lodged between the coils of the spring. Notice how the alarm spring is much smaller than the main spring. Most clocks of this type are like that.
The pivot for the alarm strike arm seems loose and as a result the alarm has proven difficult to get working properly.
The striker attaches to a lever which has a hole in it to receive the arm. Because it is loose the alarm will not work since the arm can't be controlled.
By soldering the joint the striker arm is secure and the mechanism can control whether the alarm should be activated or not.
There are markings on the dial that appear they should have glow in the dark paint on them, but they do not.
Glow in the dark paint has been stated to have a lifetime of 30 years or so. This one is no exception. The hands in this picture glow much brighter than they actually do since the camera's ISO speed was set to 400.
Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong 毛泽东) Animated Double Bell Mechanical Alarm Clock (circa 1971)
A collection of images from a reconditioned, serviced and calibrated analogue alarm clock from The People's Republic of China.
A piece of propaganda from the Mao Tse Tung social revolution era (1966-1976). Most every manufactured item in China during the Cultural revolution payed homage to Mao. Alarm clocks were manufactured in a variety of styles and colors.
Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong 毛泽东) was chairman of the Communist Party in China from 1943 until 1976. Often he was referred to as Chairman Mao. He is considered one of the most influenial people of the 20th century, then again so was Adolf Hitler. During his tenure millions of people died dued to his authoritarian rule. One of his quotes states that "political power comes from the barrel of a gun". Today the Chinese people still look upon Mao Tse Tung favorably. It has been stated he was 70% good and 30% bad.
The Little Red Book, also known by its title Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, was published in 1964 and revised several times. Not only was it required reading for all Chinese citizens, but it was also required that each citizen have one in their possession at all times. Being seen by the police without one would result in a severe public beating.
The flash from the camera makes the piece look dustier than it normally would look to the human eye. You can zoom in on the images if you mouse over them. During autoplay zoom is disabled. Shrinking the browser window will shrink its contents possibly making it easier to view the gallery.
Valued in the range of $45 - $75.