Close-up shot of the replaced tooth in the winding drum gear. My close inspection of the wheel suggests that the Josef was constrained to use brass that include a number of flaws - as seen on the back of the back plate. In terms of dating this piece, this suggests earlier, rather than later production. My impression is that the tooth was replaced because there was a flaw in the brass that weakened the original tooth, forcing Josef to make the lovely repair seen in this photo.

Close-up shot of the replaced tooth in the winding drum gear. My close inspection of the wheel suggests that the Josef was constrained to use brass that include a number of flaws - as seen on the back of the back plate. In terms of dating this piece, this suggests earlier, rather than later production. My impression is that the tooth was replaced because there was a flaw in the brass that weakened the original tooth, forcing Josef to make the lovely repair seen in this photo.