Expert: John Newman - 5/19/2007

Question
I built a wall clock from an Emporer kit 30 years ago.  It ran faithfully for 28 years.  It has an eight day movement and will run for several days and quit.  A local,reputable jewelry store kept it for a long time and tried to fix it.  They refunded my money when they couldn't get it right.  It has no jewels and is numbered 141-070 45cm west Germany.  It strikes & counts the hour and strikes the half hour.  Do you think I should replace the movement with  ?  movement available from ?.  Or is there a good electronic movement to replicate the mechanical?  Or can you recommend a repair service familiar with these movements.  The clock is not worth that much in $$$ but it got us through many nights with sick kids, waiting for kids to come home yada yada yada ---but was the heartbeat of our home for decades.

Answer
Tim, I know what you mean by yada yada yada!  It has a lot of sentimental value.  I have one of those.  To all of your questions, the answer is yes yes yes.  The movement can be restored by an  experienced clockmaker.  It was good of the jewelry store to refund your money.  You are right in saying they are reputable.  Sometimes we have to eat some our problems, but it enhances our reputations.  I can give you the options that are available.  First the movement (manufactured by Hermle) needs to be evaluated for a quote on the restoration.  I usually recommend that if the charge comes to within 75-80% of the cost of a new unit, it is better to replace it with an identical unit.  There is one available for yours.  The model suffix number has changed, but I think that is an engineering version that does not affect the mounting and operation. I can verify that.  There is also an electronic chiming pendulum movement also made by Hermle that has an excellent chime and strike quality, along with some other features and it does not change the appearance of the clock.  In our shop we are doing more mail-order repairs and restorations because so many areas do not have experienced clockmakers.  There are a few options on how this is done, including possibly locating one of our Internet Clocksmiths group near you, sending of the complete clock, just the movement, or ordering the movement.  If you will send me an email to my address below and let me know of the area in which you are located, we can discuss the options along with pricing.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Historic Downtown Prattville
Alabama
klokdok@juno.com