Holtzhausen Ltd Ed Clocks
Welcome to our World of Rare and Exotic Beauty
Clocks made by hand:
- A Holtzhausen cabinet is not mass produced.
- Our maximum output is 4 clocks a month.
- Each style and wood type combination is limited to a maximum of 50 cases.
- A certificate on the back of the clock certifies the number, date of manufacturing and woodtype.
Holtzhausen clocks are truly clocks made by hand. By that we mean that:
- once the wood is selected in our traditional workshop, a masterpiece is created by our two cabinetmakers making one clock at a time.
- Tinie and Harold carefully position and balance the hues and grain fully displaying the beauty of the wood on the table.
- Hereafter the wood, held by hand, is cut and planed.
- The columns are hand turned on a laith.
- The crown and other contours are cut on a figure saw and router, again held by hand.
- The sanding and assembly of the different parts of the case are done by hand.
- The back of you clock, again the very same grade and type as the rest of your clock, is positioned into its grooves, forming floating panels. This ensures that the solid wood’s movement will not affect the tone of your chimes.
- The beveling of the glass, if requested, is done by hand by an Italian family in Cape Town.
- The installation of the glass with hand cut wooden beads (the same timber as the rest of the case) is done by hand.
- The mechanical German movement of your choice is checked and installed by either Herman, Tinie or Harold.
The process described above takes 5 to7 days of intensive work, limiting our production to 40 proud clocks a year. During these days of manufacturing your clock it is our sole focus and our souls’ focus. Each one tells a story of its own. We love what we do.
Why a Holtzhausen clock?
The unique contribution of Holtzhausen can be found in the Artistic Spirit of our styling, the added value you will find in the character of our clocks, the process of selecting and owning an African exotic or rare hardwood clock and the way our clocks are made by hand at the rate of 4 clocks a month.
Styling
We at Holtzhausen have been developing our distinctive styles over the past 33 years. We know you don’t want a soulless reproduction, so we won’t offer you any in the Holtzhausen range. At Holtzhausen we are aware that life is cyclical, with history repeating itself. Mindful of this fact we humbly stand on the shoulders of great clockmakers and our desire is to continue this tradition. Yet as artists, our single focus in this our soul work, is to create individual works of art, anew, today, in this moment each clock spirited in its integrity-fit for any collection.
Character worth collecting
Today, the sole purpose of a clock is not one of functionality and decoration alone. We need clocks, not only to tell us the time or fill a space against a wall, but more importantly to root us in ritual and in history. Therefore a clock has to come with a story, lending character to its presence. A Holtzhausen clock will do this and more, it will import a sense of mystery, evoking wonder and dialogue.
We at Holtzhausen see "clocks like mountains, as icons of beauty, witnessing the passage of time". You will find that all our clocks are named after well known mountain ranges and peaks.
Your clock will become a unique feature in your home and a focal point around which your day to day life turns.
Your clock will become a spindle of your circle of relationships whether you live with your cat, your partner or your family. As your household treasures this item, so will it be cherished after you by generations to come. So when you choose a clock, you want it to transcend the boundaries of time, trend and fashion. You want it to be something special. It makes sense therefore to consider purchasing a Holtzhausen clock which not only speaks of tradition in its German mechanism, but also has a unique handcrafted cabinet made from exotic hardwood especially for you.
We make any clock in the wood type of YOUR choice.
Exotic and Rare Hardwoods: You will start your clock’s life by choosing which of our rare hardwoods you would like our cabinet makers to craft into a clock case for you. Although we work in most wood types, our specialty is rare and exotic timbers. What better form is there for the preservation of legally obtained rare/exotic cut wood than to be immortalized in the timeless beauty of a clock that surpasses trends? See below how and where we obtain the wood. Please see what wood types we offer and choose one of these or request a timber we have not mentioned and we will see if we can source it.
Wood Types:
Stinkwood (Ocotea bullata)
This tree grows along the South and Eastern coast of South Africa. “The wood type is famous for its natural luster and beautiful figure. The wood is yellowish grey to dark brown, and is amongst the most expensive of all furniture wood types”.
Real Yellowwood (Podocarpus Latifolius)
The Yellowwood tree grows along the South and Eastern coast and up to the Northern border of South Africa. Its wood type is remarkable in its golden-yellow hue and “it has been used as a contrasting wood to Stinkwood in the making of fine furniture” throughout Cape Dutch history.
Wild Teak/Kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis)
This tree grows throughout Zimbabwe, along the southern Mozambican border and along the northern border of Botswana and Namibia. “The Heartwood is an attractive reddish brown colour and is highly sought after for furniture, building, carving, window and door frames, boat building, canoe building, dishes, grain mortars, drums, canoe paddles and fish spears”.
Zimbabwean Teak (Baikiaea Plurijuga)
This deciduous tree grows throughout Zimbabwe and along the northern borders of Namibia and Botswana. “It is used for furniture and parquet flooring, as well as for huts and fence poles, handles for tools, drums and snuff boxes amongst other things. The bark is used in tanning and gives a reddish colour to leather”.
Hard Pear (Olinia Ventosa)
Hard Pear trees grow on the south east coast of South Africa. “In the past it was used mainly for poles and wagon building, but nowadays it has become popular for high-quality furniture, paneling and floors…the crushed leaves and fresh wood type smell strongly of almonds, indicating the release of cyanide.”
Panga Panga (Milletia Stuhlmannii)
This tree grows in Southern Mozambique. It is also known as partridge wood. “The root bark is believed to bring luck and is used, amongst others, by soccer teams to ensure victory.” Wenge (Millettia Laurentii) is related to Panga-Panga
Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
This tree is a native of Australia but can be found on the south east coast of South Africa. “The wood type is reddish brown, fairly hard and durable and commercially used for furniture”.
African Padauk (Pter soyauxii)
This tree grows in West Africa and is rich red in colour. It is used for drums and marimbas in Africa and makes an excellent sound case for a clock movement.
African Rosewood (Guibourtia demeusei)
This wood comes from Cameroon, Gabon and Zaire. It is used extensively for furniture as it can be worked well with hand tools and machined to a fine finish.
Zebra wood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
This wood originates in Zimbabwe and Southern Mozambique. “It is dense, very hard and durable. Locally it is used in the carving of ornaments, walking sticks and musical instruments.”
We also make clocks in more familiar woods such as Oak-Quercus Robur/ Petraea, American Cherry- Prunus Serotina, American Beech- Fagus Grandifolia and American Walnut-Juglans Nigra
Where does our Exotic/Rare Hardwood come from?
The African Rare Hardwoods that we use are grown in protected areas, harvested using sustainable methods and bought by registered dealers who are carefully monitored by authorities. Any unsustainable felling results in huge penalties, and even the closure of the sawmill in that area. In this way the long term sustainability of this precious resource is guaranteed.
We at Holtzhausen then purchase the timber from these registered South African agents. We refuse any timber offered to us on the black market.
1. Imported exotic timber: Harvested by local community or with local community participation => licensed by government => purchased by authorized dealers (cutting and drying is done now or after arrival in South Africa, depending on the country or origin =>legally leaves the borders of the country in question=>bought by authorized South African dealers=>sold to Holtzhausen in clean plank form.
2. Alternative cycle for indigenous South African timber: South African Nature Conservation announces an auction in one of its many sustainably managed forests=>registered buyers bid and purchase timber=>cutting and drying/fumigation follows=>Holtzhausen purchases timber in clean planks
Kiln Dried & Fumigated
All of our wood is kiln dried. This ensures that the wood is unlikely to move or crack. We offer a 2 year guarantee against cracking. In addition to this it is fumigated to banish all bugs that may be problematic when crossing country borders.
Socio-environmental responsibility
Welcome to our world of socio-environmental responsibility.
An interesting fact about Hardwood: If harvested responsibly, the environmental impact of using hardwoods is indeed lower than using wood grown in a plantation. Plantations generally require more water and have a negative effect on fragile ecosystems.
Aside from being transparent and responsible in our use of Hardwoods, we plant trees for each clock that is sold by donating to www.trees.co.za
Back