Expert: Martin Meyer - 2/3/2009

Question
Hello, I have a QUARTZ battery operated clock.  The second hand will tick when the battery is in, but it will only stay in one place, ticking back and forth for each second.  I can physically move the hand, and when I do this the rest of the hands move around as well.  Is there any thing I can do to get this hand moving around the clock properly?

Answer
Hi Nat,

I'm afraid that the short answer is "no". Quartz movements are factory sealed and not designed to be repaired. These movement have very fine plastic gears, and something is apparently jamming the seconds gear at one point. This could be anything from a speck of dirt to a damaged gear tooth.

Your best repair alternative would be to replace the entire movement with a new one. A clockmaker can do this for you or, in many cases, you can do it yourself. Particularly if the movement is a black plastic case which takes one AA battery, the conversion should be relatively easy. Replacement movements are available at most hobby stores. The one key dimension is the hand shaft length; select a movement with the same length or the hands will stick out too far or too little.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com