Here’s a Hermle 400 day clock form the 1950s that I repaired recently. Hermle 400 day clocks are not very common. I get many Schatz and Kundo 400 days, but see a Hermle only every couple of years.
The dial has a 3 15/16 inch minute track, and the minute hand is 2 inches long from center to tip. The original instructions are with the clock.
The pivots were rough on this clock, and I think they left the factory this way. I polished them all.
Repair job 5589. Horolovar back plate number 1103. Suspension unit 25A, with fork raised to prevent fluttering (5.2 mm space bvetween upper block and fork). 0.0033 inch Horolovar suspension spring.
This Kundo standard-sized 400 day clock has a nickel plated finish instead of the common plain brass. It has a wide-plate movement so I believe it was made on the early 1950s. The back plate has no name, just the Kundo logo in a circle. It uses a 0.0032 inch thick suspension spring. I didn’t do a full repair on this clock – just replaced the suspension spring. The gears are not nickel plated.
This is the most unusal Schatz 400 day clock I’ve seen – it has a copper plated finish. It is the only one I’ve see in all my years of collecting and repairing clocks. When the clock came in for repair, the finish on the base had been damaged by attempted polishing. The movement and bezel still looked good!
Pendulum parts: hook, 8 half-ball covers, 4 arms, regulator assembly, decorative washer and center assembly;
Case parts: 2 pillars, 4 pillar ends, platform, base cup, base cup screw, base, 3 finials.
The movement plates, suspension guard, guard washers, ratchet, ratchet cock, ratchet cock washer, bezel, saddle, saddle washer, saddle bridge, plate washers are copper plated. The hand nut, gear train and motion work are not copper plated.
This clock was made around 1940 or 1950. The dial has no maker’s name, and the pack plate says Jahresuhrenfabrik 49 Germany in a circle.
The parts as received from being copper plated by Ken’s Clock Clinic
Nickel, copper and brass 400 day clocks
I didn’t clean the movment plates in cleaning fluid for fear of damaging the lacquer or the copper plating. I pegged and smooth broached the pivot holes to clean them. The movment is identified in the Horolovar 400 day clock book as plate no. 1278.
This is one of the most often seen 400 day clocks: the Kundo standard with brass base, glass dome (5 1/2 by 11 inches) and enamel dial. The Kundo is a well-made clock and will last for many years. This one is about 56 years old and still going strong. In the repair process, I polish any pivots that aren’t smooth. The pivot holes in 400 day clocks don’t wear much, so bushings are not necessary. The original mainspring is usually powerful enough to run the clock, but should be replaced if it is “set’ (lost its elasticity).
Crack in the base
I polished the base using my polishing machine, then lacquered it. I hand polished the columns and platform after removing the old lacquer. These brass bases sometimes develop stress cracks (see the close-up photo below for a crack in the rear of this base) but they can usually be polished successfully. Some Kundo bases from around 1950 develop long cracks along the edges and may fall apart during polishing.
This clock has a plastic suspension guard to protect the thin suspension spring during shipping. Earlier Kundo clocks have metal guards. This one looks spotted because someone applied solvent to it.
Repair job 5536. Horolovar back plate similar to no. 1407B but has an “L” on it. It uses a 0.032 inch thick suspension spring. There was a bent tooth on the center wheel because someone had tried to turn the gears with pliers!
I recently repaired this square dial Schatz 400 day clock made in November 1953. I cleaned the movement, polished the pivots and the anchor pin, and replaced the suspension spring. These clocks use a 0.004 inch thick Horolovar suspension spring. I also polished and lacquered the base and pillars. The square dial clock is not as common as the round dial model.
This Schatz (Jahresuhernfabrik) standard size 400 day clock was made around 1949 – 1950. It has some differences from those made around 1950 – 1951. The “early” features include:
No name on the dial;
short sliding tube on suspension guard;
the dial is secured with taper pins (instead of collars with screw);
the minute wheel is held by a cock instead of a screw, and the canon pinion is larger in diameter than the later style.
This clock has its original instruction sheets.
The single sheet appears to have been hand typed, and is signed “Devon Sales Company, Devon, Connecicut”
The 4 page instructions were printed in Germany and contain both German and English text. They contain the heading “Directions for setting up ORIGINAL SCHATZ 400 day lever clock” The instructions explain raising the sliding tube on the suspension guard, hanging and starting the pendulum, the purpose of the cup in the base, how to tell if the clock is out of beat, how to adjust the beat, and regulating the clock. The instructions don’t cover winding and setting the clock, perhaps they assumed that people already knew how to wind and set a clock (which was probably true in 1950!)
This pretty little Kundo 400 day clock is 8 7/16 inches tall without the dome. The ivory color base and pillars have flowers painted on them. It was made in the 1950s.
The movement is Horolovar back plate no. 1381, and I installed a 0.0024 inch thick Horolovar suspension spring (the 0.0023 inch springs I have now are slightly thinner than 0.0023 inch and make the clock lose time).
