Expert: Martin Meyer - 7/16/2009

Question
Hello,
I hope that you might be able to help me with my new clock.  It is a fake french cafe style battery op clock...really huge over sized style (about 1metre diameter) it looks really fab... and it loses at least 5 mins per day.  I have changed the battery for a brand new one (aa) I have a feeling that this battery might not be powerful enough but thats what size it takes anyway... Is there a way of adjusting this type of clock so that it runs better ?  Many Thanks.

Answer
Hi Lucy,

Quartz/battery movements have no adjustment for rate; if the clock runs slow, all you can do is replace the entire movement. Make sure that are using fresh alkaline batteries, not rechargeable or old-fashioned carbon-zinc batteries, sometimes labeled as "heavy duty".

If you can access both the movement and the hands, replacement is quite easy. You will need to remove the hands, then remove a single nut on the hand shaft which holds the movement in the clock. Sometimes the movement is also held by double-sided tape or adhesive, and you may need to pry it out a bit. Make sure that you get a replacement with the same hand shaft length as the original. I would also recommend getting a "high torque" movement, due to the large size of your clock.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com