On the vast majority of clocks, it is okay to set the hands forward one hour. When setting the hands, you should pause at each time the clock will strike or chime. On clocks where you set the hands directly (not having a time set knob), move the minute hand (long hand), and the hour hand will automatically follow.

Hermle Clocks (such as the ones I sell at Bill’s Clockworks): You may turn the minute hand ahead one hour, pausing each quarter hour for a chiming clock or each half hour for a striking clock.

Cuckoo Clocks: Move the minute hand ahead one hour, pausing at the hour and half hour for the clock to cuckoo.

Grandfather Clocks: Move the minute hand forward one hour, pausing at each quarter hour for the clock to chime.

Chelsea Ship’s Bell Clocks: Turn the minute hand ahead pausing at the hour and half hour for the clock to strike.

Antique American wall, mantel and shelf clocks: Move the minute hand forward one hour, pausing at the hour and half hour for the clock to strike.

French Antique Clocks: Move the minute hand forward one hour, pausing at the hour and half hour for the clock to strike.

400 Day Clocks: Move the minute hand forward one hour.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT FORCE THE MINUTE HAND. IF YOU FEEL AN OBSTRUCTION, STOP MOVING THE HAND.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT MOVE THE HOUR (SHORT) HAND – IT WILL MOVE BY ITSELF AS YOU MOVE THE MINUTE HAND.

DISCLAIMER: I AM PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION AS A FREE SERVICE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FOLLOWING THESE DIRECTIONS.

Marine or Ship’s Chronometer: IT IS BEST TO LEAVE THE HANDS ALONE. Consult a specialist before setting a chronometer. It is best not to set the hands, just record the chronometer’s error each day.

You will need to set your clocks back one hour. I recommend doing this before you go to bed on Saturday night (November 5).

The U.S. Department of Transportation also reminds Americans to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change the time on their clocks.

Some windup clocks can have the hands turned back, and some cannot. I will discuss some popular types of clocks below. For specialized types of clocks and clock systems, refer to the instructions manual, manufacturer or service center.

Hermle Clocks (such as the ones I sell at Bill’s Clockworks): You may turn the minute hand back one hour.

Cuckoo Clocks: stop the pendulum for one hour then restart it.

400 Day Clocks: you may turn the minute hand back one hour (unless it is one of the rare ones with striking).

Grandfather Clocks: Modern grandfather clocks, made in the last 30 – 40 years, may have the minute hand turned back one hour. Antique grandfather clocks – stop the pendulum for one hour then restart it. The best way to stop the pendulum is to wait until it swings to the left. As it reaches its maximum swing, gently capture it with your hands, gently move it to the center and stop it, then let go. When starting the pendulum, move it to the right and release it.

Chelsea Ship’s Bell Clocks: Turn the minute hand ahead 11 hours, pausing every hour and half hour for the clock to strike.

Antique American wall, mantel and shelf clocks: Either stop the pendulum for one hour, or turn the minute hand forward 11 hours, pausing every hour and half hour for the clock to strike (some clocks strike just the hour, in which case just pause on each hour for the clock to strike). If the clock is time only (does not have strike or chime), you may turn the minute hand back one hour.

French Antique Clocks: stop the pendulum for one hour, then restart it. DO NOT TURN BACK THE HANDS.

There are so many types of clocks that I cannot cover them all here. Many Seth Thomas mantel clocks have an instruction sheet inside the back door. Most quarter hour chime clocks have instructions, they should tell you if it safe to turn the minute hand back or not.

If you don’t know whether it is safe to turn the minute hand back, you may turn it forward 11 hours, pausing for the clock to chime or strike at the appropriate times (hour, half hour or quarter hour, whenever the clock should strike or chime). (Note: on a clock with automatic night shutoff for the chime, set it ahead 23 hours.)

Vintage Electric Alarm Clocks: unplug the clock for one hour or set the minute hand back one hour, don’t go back past the time at which the alarm is set to ring.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT FORCE THE MINUTE HAND. IF YOU FEEL AN OBSTRUCTION, STOP MOVING THE HAND.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT MOVE THE HOUR (SHORT) HAND – IT WILL MOVE BY ITSELF AS YOU MOVE THE MINUTE HAND.

DISCLAIMER: I AM PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION AS A FREE SERVICE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FOLLOWING THESE DIRECTIONS.

Marine or Ship’s Chronometer: NEVER TURN THE HANDS BACK. Consult a specialist before setting a chronometer. It is best to not set the hands, just record the chronometer’s error each day.

This clock has its original instruction sheet, with both English and German instructions

See more photos.

Repair job 5559.

I just received a Schatz 400 day anniversary clock that was made in April 1953. Someone pushed on the “click” (the device that clicks as you wind the mainspring). It unwound with a big bang, and damaged the barrel and broke one of the pivots (the small ends of the gear shafts. This added at least $70 to the repair bill!

In most cases, your clock did not stop because it was “wound too tight.” It stopped because it needs to be taken apart, cleaned, and other necessary repairs made.

DO NOT TRY TO UNWIND YOUR CLOCK! BEING “WOUND TOO TIGHT” IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

The back of the movement is labeled:

TOCHIGI TOKEI CO., LTD.
NO(0) JEWELS
UNADJUSTED
JAPAN

The movement has these numbers stamped in ink in the battery compartment:

13005
9031

The movement uses one D cell.

When a clock that is wound up all the way will not work, it needs to be repaired. The repair needed can range from a simple adjustment such as putting the clock in beat; up to an overhaul, in which the movement needs to be taken completely apart, cleaned, pivots polished, and any other repair work carried out. 400 day anniversary clocks seldom need to have bushings installed, but quite often, Schatz clocks from the 1950′s need a few pivots polished.

I offer repair service for Kundo and Schatz 400 day clocks and Schatz 1000 day clocks.

Monday morning he came in with the clock and said there was a problem with it. I looked at the movement and barely recognized it! All the steel parts were badly rusted. I asked him what had happened to it, and he said he dunked the movement into what he thought was an ammonia solution. As the movement entered the fluid, it started fizzing and bubbling, and he thought “Boy, this is cleaning well!” After the “cleaning” and rinsing, he realized that he had used bleach!

The movement was completely ruined (all pivots, pinions and other steel parts were badly rusted and pitted).

Note: an ammonia solution is not good to use on an assembled movement. The movement must be disassembled so that it can be properly rinsed and dried after cleaning. Also, do not use an ammonia solution to clean mainsprings

A month later, he returned with the clock. He had complained to the auctioneer about the clock not working, so the auctioneer sent him to “X” who would fix it for $35.

It didn’t look like the same clock. The beautiful, original painted dial had been replaced with a new paper dial, the nice nickeled bezel had been polished so much that the brass was showing through, the clock didn’t run well, and the click was still loose. The movement apparently had been “cleaned” but no repair had been done. I quoted the same repair price as before, and the customer said he would think about it.

Seeing repair work like this makes me sad. A beautiful clock in nice original condition, that would have looked fantastic with a little TLC to the case, became just another old clock, although it still had a pretty case.

Note: You can put a clock in beat by tilting it to the left or right until the ticking sounds even. If it looks too much off level to suit you, follow the instructions below.

These directions apply to American antique clocks of the “Connecticut” type such as Sessions, Ingraham, Gilbert, Seth Thomas, Waterbury, New Haven, etc., having an easy to bend crutch made of brass wire. The same principle applies to other clocks, but on some clocks the crutch is wide and hard to bend, on French clocks the escapement is delicate and you must be very careful, many modern clocks have a slip clutch for beat adjustment, some modern clocks (especially grandfather clocks) have automatic beat setting, and many precision clocks such as Vienna regulators (and some grandfather clocks) have a beat setting screw near the TOP of the pendulum.

Wall Clock: Clock should be leveled and fastened to wall at both top and bottom so it stays in place. Remove the hands and dial.

Shelf or Mantel Clock with pendulum in front: Place the clock on a level surface and remove the hands and dial.

Mantel Clock with rear pendulum: Place the clock on a level surface with the back facing you, and open the back door.

Refer to the View A and View B in the illustration above and follow the steps below to put the clock in beat.

1. Move pendulum to the left or right until the escape wheel escapes from one pallet to the other. Release pendulum and see if clock keeps running for several seconds.
2. Stop pendulum, and move it in the other direction until escape wheel escapes. Release pendulum and see if clock keeps running for several seconds.
3. If the clock keeps running when started from both the left and right sides (or nearly so) clock is in beat.
4. If the clock keeps running only when started from the left, slightly bend the verge wire to the right, as shown by the arrow in view A. To bend the verge wire, grasp it in needle nose pliers (or your fingers) about 1/3 of the way down from the verge, and bend the free end slightly with your fingers.
5. If the clock keeps running only when started from the right, slightly bend the verge wire to the left, as shown by the arrow in view B. To bend the verge wire, grasp it in needle nose pliers (or your fingers) about 1/3 of the way down from the verge, and bend the free end slightly with your fingers.

Repeat steps 1) through 5) until the ticking sounds even. You can make the most precise beat determination when the pendulum is taking the minimum possible swing that will make the clock tick on both the left and right pendulum swing. A larger swing may mask beat errors.

Note: it is better to use a wire bender (a small metal rod with a slot in it) instead of pliers, but the pliers will suffice if you are careful.

Troubleshooting: Make sure the pendulum rod is not touching the front or back of the crutch loop – bend the crutch wire if necessary. Make sure the sides of the crutch loop are parallel and that there is slight clearance between the pendulum rod and the sides of the crutch loop.

When I was a youngster I experimented and learned how to put a clock in beat, and can do it almost without thinking. In the instructions above, I have tried to put my procedure into words and drawings suitable for the clock owner with some mechanical know-how. Please feel free to make a comment on how to make the instructions more clear!