Adolf Seefeldt: Germany’s “Uncle Tick-Tock” Serial Killer of Children

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · Apr 23, 2026 · 9m

Adolf Seefeldt, known as “Uncle Tick-Tock,” was a German serial killer who murdered young boys while posing as a harmless traveling watch repairman. Adolf Seefeldt was born on the 6th of March 1870 in the city of Potsdam, then part of the North German Confederation. He was the youngest of nine children and grew up in a deeply troubled household. To make a living, Seefeldt repaired watches for people. In 1890, he moved to the northern German city of Lübeck, where he married Katharina and started a family. However, the marriage ended in divorce after just over a year, since Seefeldt was…