Clocks, Watches/Clock

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Expert: - 9/14/2009


Question
I too am like Melinda, I bought my Aunts clock from her Estate sale and would like the any info available on it.  It says Deville at the top of the face, and 30 day at the bottom, and has the key.  Not sure about anything else, very nice and very heavy. I can't find any info on a wall clock with pendulum having Deville written in it, any help would be appreciated.  Thank You!  Karen Keller

Answer
Karen, any of the 30, 31 or 32 day clocks are made in Asia and there is very little available information on them.  They were made by the thousands with so many different model names on them, some even the same as American or German companies.  I don't know if all of them were authorized to use the copyrighted names.  The only general information I can tell you is that to set the clock up it should be hung relatively level on the wall to obtain an even tick tock.  This is called being "in beat".  It it goes tick..tock......tick..tock, it is out of beat and will stop.  There are two ways to correct this. If the movement has an auto-beat adjustment, hold the pendulum all the way over to one side and release it.  It should have an even beat like tick....tock....tick....tock.  If it doesn't correct, it is not the auto-beat type.  Then what should be done is to move the bottom of the clock slightly to the right or left to obtain the even beat.  When this is done I always make a small pencil mark on the wall at the botom side of the clock so if it is moved when bumped or moved while opening the door to wind, it can be put back in the same position.  The right winding arbor is for the time and the left on is for the strike.  It should be wound once a month.  Wind until you feel a definite increase in resistance.  Make sure you hold onto the key firmly, as if the key slips it can kick back and cause serious damage to the clock or your hand.  This really goes for any wind-up clock.  However, extra caution should be taken, as the Asian clocks of this type have very powerful mainsprings.  I hope this helps a little.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama

Clocks, Watches

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John Newman

Expertise

As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.

Experience

One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.

Organizations
Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee

Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.

Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)

Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama) Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)

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