Expert: Martin Meyer - 9/26/2008

Question
Actually, more than one question.
1. I have two Seiko quartz clocks which lose time, up to 5 minutes per week,on fresh batteries. I  sent them to Seiko, they came back with the reply that Seiko no longer carries spares for these clocks. Any advice?
2. I am about to buy a Seiko clock which has a rubber belt in the back between the hour/minute dial and the seconds dial. How long is the service life of a belt like this and are they still available from authorized Seiko repair shops?
3. I also own a Kundo clock with an oscillating pendulum that has a curved rod inside a coil. I have reached the upper limit in moving the bell shaped regulator up to make the clock run faster. Is there another way to adjust it? It is still losing time. Does the curved rod have to be positioned precisely in the center inside the coil? Does it have to swing an equal distance right and left from its center? Both parameters can by adjusted by hreaded leveling feet of the clock. Thank you for your response

Answer
Hi Yuri,

When a quartz movement loses that much time, the only remedy is to replace the entire movement. There are many types of quartz movements available from clock supply houses like Timesavers or Merritts Antiques. Depending on what movement is in your clock, you may be able to find a replacement movement that fits your clock and has the correct hand shaft length. Your original hands will usually fit the new movement, unless the clock is quite old. If the hands don't fit, there are many styles of replacement hands available. Replacement is usually easy, one nut on the hand shaft holding the movement on the dial.

You would have to contact Seiko to find out if replacement belts are available. I have no idea what the life of such a belt might be.

The Kundo Electronic has no regulating provision other than the adjusting bell. If the clock runs slow, there is a problem with the movement. The suspension spring may be broken or too weak, there could be a defect in the coil or circuit, the pendulum rod could be hitting some point of resistance, the movement could be worn or dirty, or the escapement could be out of adjustment.

The permanent magnet rod should be centered inside the coil so that it doesn't touch the coil at any point in its swing. It should also swing an equal distance in each direction. http://www.clockmasteronline.com