Maritime object - Copper- Vintage ship's clock

Origin: At the bottom of the dial it clearly says "Made in Great Britain". Smiths (originally S. Smith & Sons) was for decades the leading British manufacturer of clocks, watches and dashboard instruments (for, among others, Mini and Rolls-Royce).
The 'Empire' line: Clocks with the inscription "Empire" were known as reliable, mechanical workhorses. They were produced in large numbers from the 1930s to the 1960s and 1970s for both domestic use and for industry and maritime use.
2. Features of the Dial
24-hour indication: Besides the traditional Roman numerals (I to XII) you see inside red Arabic numerals running from 13 to 23 (with 00 at the top). This directly indicates military or maritime use, where the 24-hour clock is standard to avoid confusion between AM and PM.
Decubitus / Sub-dial: The small dial at the top (with the numbers 15, 30, 45, 60) is the seconds dial.
S / F Regulator: Just below XII you see the letters S (Slow) and F (Fast). Here you could adjust the movement very finely with a small pin or a key if the clock ran slow or fast.
Winding hole: Just above VI (at the red 18) you see the winding hole. This is a mechanical clock that must be wound manually with a key (often an 8-day movement).
The casing: The clock sits in a heavy brass case, which is typical for ship clocks because brass withstands the corrosive, salty sea air.
3. The Back: Handwritten Inscriptions
The back often reveals the true unique story of such an object. There are hand-engraved letters and numbers in the brass: "KM 264".
These kinds of inscriptions were placed in the past in two ways:
Clockmakers/Maintenance: In the past, a clockmaker after maintenance or repair would often scratch his own unique code or the date very small into the case to keep track of warranty or history.
Inventory number: Given the maritime character of the clock, "KM" could also stand for an inventory or ship code of the owner (for example, a shipping company, government agency or a specific department aboard a vessel) where this clock was number 264.