Now that you have said it is a clock it makes things a bit clearer. If it looks like brass then it is likely to be brass. Depending on the exact composition of the brass it can look and feel different.
I was thinking about bronze, pinchbeck and other yellowish metals but they are not often used for clocks.
It is the clock surround that is made of brass Vagrant.
It is a JUNGHANS ELECTRONIC M1000 QUARTZ with a plastic battery cover so it will hardly be ancient.
What does puzzle me is that it loses and sometimes gains a couple of minutes a day - I thought quartz clocks were supposed to be very accurate.
Anyone got and ideas?