My Koopman Clock

In his most recent post on Soviet sets, Goodknightmike asked me about the Koopman clock that graces many of the photos I've posted here.

Here's what the Chess Museum has to say about Koopman clocks:

Often apostrophed as the best mechanical chess clock ever made , the Koopmans was produced in Dordrecht from the 40ies till the end of the 1990ies - when the maker died! Robust box, excellent clockwork, solid buttons, works fine. Koopmans can be dated exactly, as the maker used to stamp the date of warranty on them!

Indeed, mine bears stamping that indicates it was crafted in 1960.

November 1960, to be precise. It came with a five-year warranty that expired in October 1965, fifty years ago almost to the day. Yet it still keeps on ticking.

The lever mechanism works smoothly. It sports large clock faces that make it easy to read. It works extremely well for five- and ten-minute games for an analog clock because it has a very large scale for the final minute.

Some dimensions...

It's in very good condition, and the metal panels on the back show no signs of corrosion.

The feet were smooth, and not 100% level. This initially caused the clock to slide and wobble a little bit during play. I fixed this by attaching blue felt to the feet. Problem solved.

All in all, a great clock of some historical significance that I enjoy playing with and using as a prop in my photos.

Amazing clock. I notice the + and - symbols on the back. Are those to adjust the timekeeping of the clock, to speed up or slow down each side? Very nice, that's a keeper for sure.

I love Koopman clocks... Here are mine:

Thanks, GN. I imagine that's what the signs are for. I haven't used them.

Yes, the +/- is to adjust clocks if they run too fast or too slow. Almost all mechanical clocks have them on the back.

Those are both beautiful clocks. Must make playing a game a real treat.

Thanks, R. Yes, the Koopman almost makes up for my lack of insight.

Thanks Chuck, great pics of your Koopman clock. Here's my some pics of my clocks. The smaller clock does not have "Koopman" on its faces, but does have a Koopman label on the back of the clock, so I'm not sure if this clock was made by Koopman or just sold by the Koopman company. 

Very nice, Mike!

Is that your new HOS Reykjavik set in the foreground, cgrau?  They look good with the clock!

Impractical wrote:

Is that your new HOS Reykjavik set in the foreground, cgrau?  They look good with the clock!

Thanks, Impractical. That's an HOS set, but the BCC reproduction. My new Fischer set actually is an Official Staunton. I like it very much, too.

Mike, I think it's a Jerger, resold in the Netherlands, w/ Koopman probably providing the wooden frame. See here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/106617072132488462760/ChessClocks#5882370111246066786

Thanks Frank, but I find it strange that Koopman would market the Jerger clock when they have their own line to sell