Expert: Martin Meyer - 11/17/2009

Question
My Welby wall Clock stopped. The one D Cell battery is fresh. Clock is 28" long, wood encased %26 has a 10" face.  Info on the back is Quartz, CL1003, G9, 24, COSMO. Can I replace the mechanism or must I replace the clock?

Thanks

William

Answer
Hi William,

There is a wide selection of replacement quartz movements available from clock supply houses like Timesavers or Merritts Antiques. The replacement movement will probably be different from your original in both size and features.

The two main considerations are getting a movement that fits in the space available inside your clock, and getting the correct handshaft length, so that the hands are neither too close to the dial, nor sticking out so far that it looks odd or hits the front glass (if your clock has one). Your original hands may or may not fit the new movement, but there is a wide selection of replacement hands available.

Mounting the movement is usually relatively easy. Pull the second hand straight off (if the clock has one) or unscrew the nut on the end of the handshaft. Then unscrew the small nut that holds the minute hand on, and pull the minute hand and the hour hand straight off. There will usually be a single nut with a brass washer beneath it holding the movement onto the dial. Remove the nut and washer and the movement will come out from the back side of the dial. Sometimes there is some double-sided tape or glue holding the movement onto the dial. Remove this with a thin, not sharp, knife and the movement will come out. Replacement is simply this procedure in reverse. http://www.clockmasteronline.com