Handcrafted Mantel Clock Produced by the Black Forest Clock Company
In the heart of Toronto, Ontario, the Blackforest Clock Company was founded in 1928 by Austrian immigrants, Leopold and Sara Stossel. Initially, the company focused on selling clock movements and complete clocks imported from Germany, with early models being assembled locally at their Wellington Street East facility.
During this period, it is likely that the Walter Clock Company of Kitchener, Ontario, was involved in supplying wood clock cases to the Blackforest Clock Company. Although definitive documentation is limited, Canadian clock historians and collectors suggest that Walter Clock Co., a known case manufacturer at the time, produced some of the early cases for Blackforest clocks.
This relationship fits the historical context, as Blackforest started with local assembly and case-making before shifting primarily to importing fully assembled clocks from Germany later on. Walter Clock Company's expertise in wood case manufacturing at that time in Kitchener supports the plausibility of this supplier connection to Blackforest in Toronto.
As the Second World War approached, the Blackforest Clock Company rebranded itself as the Forestville Clock Company and sourced movements from England, the United States, and France, due to the disruption in German imports. However, post-war, Forestville resumed imports from Germany, with Friedrich Mauthe being a significant movement supplier.
Recently, a chime clock, likely made in the mid-1930s, was acquired for $15 in Nova Scotia. Although it requires restoration, the clock in question is a time-and-strike (rack and snail) mantel clock, and its history adds to the intrigue surrounding the relationship between the Blackforest and Walter Clock Companies.
This article serves to shed light on an often overlooked aspect of Canadian clock history, highlighting the connection between these two companies and the role they played in shaping the clock-making industry in Canada.
[1] Canadian Clock Historians and Collectors Association. (n.d.). The Blackforest Clock Company. Retrieved from https://www.canadianclockhistorians.ca/blackforest.html
- The Walter Clock Company in Kitchener, Ontario, may have supplied wooden clock cases to the Blackforest Clock Company in Toronto, as suggested by Canadian clock historians and collectors.
- The Blackforest Clock Company, known for selling vintage clocks, initially sourced clock movements and wholesale clocks from Germany, with potential cases coming from the Walter Clock Company.
- Today, a mantel clock, possibly originating from the era of collaboration between the Blackforest and Walter Clock Companies, is under restoration, shedding light on the intriguing history of these two influential companies in the Canadian and global clock-making industry.
