Das Tellurium by Hermle – a masterpiece among table clocks
The Hermle clocks brand stands for high-quality grandfather clocks, wall clocks, table clocks and regulators, and has done so since 1922. The clocks are largely handcrafted and refined with interesting technical and visual details. These masterpieces are hugely popular worldwide and represent time in its finest form.
Today, table clocks come in many variations, but only a few combine elegance and classic style as well as Hermle pieces do.
The Hermle Tellurium
A tellurium is a planetary machine, a model that mechanically represents the movement of the Moon and the Earth around the Sun. In Hermle's table clock of the same name, this model crowns the upper part of the case.
A glass dome sits on the angular walnut case, beneath which the tellurium is located. It shows the Earth's orbit around the Sun over the course of a year, while the Earth rotates once around its own axis every 24 hours. At the same time, the Moon orbits the Earth once every 29.5 days and also rotates once around its own axis, so that the individual lunar phases can be seen from Earth. On its journey around the Sun, the Earth passes through all 12 zodiac signs, months and individual days, which are shown on the flat disc beneath the dome. Due to the tilt of the Earth's axis against the orbital plane, the seasons can also be depicted in the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
If you are now lucky enough to own this masterpiece, there are a few points that you should definitely observe. All handling must be carried out with the utmost care. I even recommend wearing gloves to protect the clock!
Once the high-quality clock has finally arrived, the first step - the correct unpacking - is due. To do this, I first removed the upper inner box from the package, which contains the separately packaged polished sun sphere, the winding key and the tellurium's glass dome.
After that, the second inner box can be removed from the package, which contains the complete clock. Great care is required here so that the clock is not damaged immediately upon unpacking!
To be able to admire the table clock in its full beauty, all transport locks such as rubber, foam, corrugated cardboard, etc. must be removed from the hammers and bells inside the clock. To make it easier to remove the transport locks, I opened both doors of the clock.
The Tellurium mechanism
The running time of the clock is 1 week (8-day movement). To prevent the clock from stopping in between, do not forget to wind it in good time and regularly! To do this, I placed the winding key on the winding square and turned it clockwise until the movement was fully wound (approx. 4 ½ turns). The right winding arbor winds the 4/4 striking mechanism, the middle one winds the going train, and the left winding arbor winds the hour-strike mechanism.
The striking mechanism can be switched off using the strike shutoff, which is located next to the dial by the number 3. Another feature is the night shutoff, which allows the strike to be automatically switched off during the night. The night shutoff is located behind the dial between the center of the dial and the number 3. When this function is activated, the clock does not strike between 22.00 and 6.45 - allowing nighttime peace to continue to be maintained.
In the next step, the clock can be set correctly. To do this, I set the strike shutoff to strike for setting the clock. The hour strike is triggered by moving the minute hand (large hand) forward to 12. After the melody has finished, the hour strike follows. The number of hour strikes must of course match the numeral indicated by the hour hand (small hand). The striking system now adjusts itself automatically within one hour thanks to the built-in strike synchronization and lets the Westminster melody sound in 4/4 time.
The Hermle Tellurium is equipped by the manufacturer with a precise 11-jewel escapement and is carefully regulated during production. If fine adjustment is still necessary, it must be carried out with the utmost care. A shift of about 1 mm on the regulating lever of the escapement can already cause a change in rate of about 2-4 min/day.
The heart of the clock, the tellurium, can then be set correctly. To do this, I first took the sun sphere out of the packaging and placed it on the central vertical axis of the tellurium. Afterwards, the rotating arm of the tellurium must be turned at the black date pointer to the current date. It is important here that the switching star behind the pointer must not be touched. I adjusted the bracket with the globe so that the bracket points away from the sun (valid for the area of the northern hemisphere).
Once these steps are completed, the Moon can be set according to the current lunar phase and the Earth according to the current time of day.
If the clock should still come to a standstill (forgotten to wind it, vacation, etc.), it must be completely reset!
Care of the clock
Another important point that I would like to address here is the care of the clock. No special cleaners, polishing pastes or water may be used! If the clock does need cleaning, I can only recommend a dry cloth or leather for this purpose. The mechanical movement of the clock can be affected by moisture, dust, heat and cold, so it may be necessary to have the movement professionally cleaned and oiled by a clockmaker after a certain period of time (after 5-8 years).
The Hermle Tellurium is a masterpiece of its class and is popular not only among clock lovers. This first-class table clock is a decorative piece and eye-catcher in any living room!
