EN

Johannes Kleiman worked at N.V. Paauwe's Volautomatische Kalenderuurwerken

Johannes Kleiman was there at the birth of N.V. Paauwe's Patent.

Event

Jan. 29, 1937 - Jan. 28, 1959

52.373928 N 4.878291 E

Bloemgracht 135

Amsterdam

Nederland

On 29 January 1937, the Kleiman brothers and four others formed a syndicate to investigate the commercial possibilities of the invention 'het volautomatisch kalendermechanisme op uurwerken' (the fully automatic calendar mechanism on clocks) patented in May 1936 by P.J. Paauwe.[1] From 26 April to 5 May 1937, the firm held an exhibition at Hotel Suisse on Kalverstraat where the mechanism was demonstrated to invited guests.[1]

Kleiman travelled to England for Paauwe and made contact with Smith's English Clocks Works Ltd. in London.[2] On 9 November 1937, Kleiman founded N.V. Paauwe with Paauwe, J.C. Werner and his brother Willy Kleiman before notary W.W. Rutgers. He had nine shares, as did his brother Willy, Pauwe owned 17 and Werner 15 shares, making a total of 50 shares. Each share was worth 300 guilders, so the total starting capital was 15,000 guilders.[3] Johannes Kleiman thus held an 18 per cent shareholding worth 2,100 guilders.

Kleiman was supervisory director of the company from 19 September 1938. He remained so until his death in January 1959. His brother was also a supervisory director and later authorised signatory of the company. He was involved with Paauwe until his death in June 1955.[4]

There was a Paauwe clock on the wall of Kleiman's office at Opekta (the 'front office' of Prinsengracht 263). The clock was almost stolen in a burglary in early 1944.[5]

In 1940, the company was one of the first factories in the Netherlands to have an assembly line, for clock assembly.[6] By January that year, the factory was producing 130 clocks a week, and the firm employed a total of 65 people.[1]

Addresses where the firm was successively located:

  • Korte Prinsengracht 8.[7]
  • Generaal Vetterstraat 40.[8]
  • Bloemgracht 135.[9]
  • 2e Schinkelstraat 30.[10]

A photograph has survived of the staff at a Christmas party, presumably in the early 1950s.[11]

Footnotes

  1. a, b, c Memo "Wat gebeurde er bij Paauwe's Patent", uit persoonlijke papieren van P.J. Paauwe in bezit van zijn dochter, transcriptie door Willem van der Krogt.
  2. ^ Brochure Werken & streven van Paauwes Patent, p. 17. De brochure is een schenking van Guus Haverman, wiens vader bij Paauwe werkte.
  3. ^ Kamer van Koophandel Amsterdam, Handelsregister dossier 50604 (dossiernummers zijn tegenwoordig achtcijferig, details zijn echter nu niet bekend en het dossier is nog niet naar het Noord-Hollands Archief overgebracht).
  4. ^ Kamer van Koophandel Amsterdam, Handelsregister 50604.
  5. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 1 March 1944, in: The Collected Works; transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.
  6. ^ Rienk Vermij, "Gedwongen tempo. De lopende band in Nederland tot de Tweede Wereldoorlog" in: NEHA-jaarboek, (2001) nr. 64, p. 227-257, aldaar p. 235.
  7. ^ Hier ging het bedrijf van start. E-mail Willem van der Krogt, 20 augustus 2009, bij documenten naar taxonomie Kleiman.
  8. ^ Christiaan Huygens. Vakblad voor uurwerkmakers, 29 mei 1937. Dit is Kleimans privé-adres, mogelijk als postadres voor Paauwe.
  9. ^ Beeldbank Stadsarchief Amsterdam, fotonummer 012000007156. Dit is een nieuw pand, dat de firma in 1939 in gebruik neemt.
  10. ^ Kamer van Koophandel Amsterdam, Handelsregister dossier 50604. Dit is een oud schoolgebouw. Rond 1950 verandert de naam in NUFA. Inmiddels heet het bedrijf Nedklok, gevestigd aan de Hemweg in Amsterdam.
  11. ^ Geschonken door G. Haverman, wiens vader op de foto staat. Anne Frank Stichting, Anne Frank Collectie, reg. code A_Kleiman_III_101.