This movement actually came to us by way of a local repair. The owner made this kit clock in 2014 and this movement was part of it. At first glance in the top photo it appears to be a Hermle chain wind 1161-053 movement. The plates are the right size, the ANSO mechanism, snail, and cams are definitely Hermle . Note that the rack and strike lock not quite Hermle, but a copy.

Now the killer.

The chime change step cam and the change lever are actually Kieninger. Another giveaway that eluded us at first is the small red export sticker Y. Definitely Chinese. The e- clips are neither Hermle nor Kieninger.

The second photo shows the back. The chime roll is Hermle. The suspension post looks mostly like the Urgos UW66 series. The chime hammer wires may be Hermle and the rest a definite knockoff.

The back plate does not state made in Germany, which is a legal violation, but the Chinese are of course not so concerned about that since it is a knockoff anyway. The name Du Chateau adds a French flavor, I imagine.

The third photo is to to illustrate the chain wheels. The gear is from the Hermle 1161 but the sprocket much smaller from a 451 movement and they managed to put them together.

The looks of the entirety is like they had a roomful of parts, some Hermle, some Urgos, and some Kieninger and made a movement out of it. The facts are that it would have been easier to just knockoff a single movement of one type, but they simply used acquired parts.

I have seen copies before, but not this one. We did change it out for the Hermle 1161-053 and the dial fitted right up. The original hands did not fit however, and I am not certain which movement the hand shaft was from.

The moral is that if the movement doesn’t look quite right, it should be given a closer look. I hope you find this as interesting as I did.