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This Kundo miniature 400 day clock from the 1950s has a case similar to the Schatz “London Coach”. it is 8 1/4 inches tall (including finial). The side panels and rear panel are glass with a molded pattern. The front panel is plain glass.

I cleaned the movement, straightened the hand shaft and replaced the mainspring (the old mainspring had been cleaned in the past without removing it from the barrel and it had corrosion marks). Also, the suspension unit was not quite long enough.

Below are some pictures, there are more on my Picasa web album.

Here is a video:

Job 5108. Horolovar back plate no. 1379A.

This Schatz standard 400 day clock was made in September, 1954 (date code 9 54 on the rear of the movement). It has a beautiful engraved, silvered brass dial.

I cleaned the movement, polished several pivots, replaced the suspension spring and mainspring, and polished and lacquered the case and pendulum (one of the photos below shows all the parts of the pendulum when it was apart for polishing). The base was so full of cracks that I replaced it with an identical old base that was in good condition.

Here is a video:

Job 5088, back plate no. 1014A.

If your clock has stopped working and you think it is “wound too tight”, DON’T TRY TO UNWIND IT! You will just break it worse.

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.

These 2 clocks have large dials with 3 5/8 inch time track (the standard dial has 3 1/4 inch time track). They have attractive skeleton hands. Kundo made both clocks. The left one says “Welby” on the dial and movement.

The left one has the type of pendulum used for many years (it has a slot in the top part of each pendulum arm). The right one has the later type of pendulum without slots in the arms (I wonder if it originally had the earlier type).

The left clock has the longer, earlier type of movement mounting nuts (visible beneath the platform). The right clock has the later type of short mounting nuts.

Kundo used 2 methods to mount the dial to the movement. Earlier dials have taper pins through posts. Later dials have rotating fasteners. The photos below show both types.

Here is a video of these clocks:

Repair jobs 5079 and 5100.

400 day or “Anniversary” clocks were introduced in the 1880s in Germany. Their popularity had its ups and downs, reaching a peak in the 1950s, when many U.S. servicemen sent clocks home as gifts.

For years, most 400 day clocks did not have the maker’s name or country on the dial. Later (1920s?), “Made in Germany” started appearing on the bottom of dials. Finally, in the early 1950s, it became customary for the maker’s name (or an abbreviation) to appear on the dial. Examples:

• Heco: Henry Coehler & Co. (a U.S. importer, not a maker)
• Herr: Uhrehfabrik Herr
• Kern: Kern & Sohne
• Koma: Konrad Mauch
• Kundo: Kieninger & Obergfell (K und O)
• Schatz: Aug. Schatz & Sohne (also known as Jahreuhrenfabrik)

I just repaired a Schatz (Jahresuhrenfabrik) 400 day clock that made about 1949 or 1950. The movement has no date, and says Jahresuhrenfabrik (German for Year Clock Company) in the circle around the 49. The number 49 is supposed to represent the year (1949) that this model of movement was introduced, although very similar movements had been made by this company since around 1900 or earlier.

The dial on this clock does not say “Schatz”, and I have seen other made about the same time with no name on the dial. Judging from the examples I have seen, the name Schatz starting appearing on dials around 1950 or 1951. If you have any information about this, please leave a comment below.

Repair Work

This clock had one very rough pivot (front center wheel pivot) which probably caused excessive friction. I smoothed and burnished it, polished the other pivots, and smooth broached the pivot holes.

The movement is no. 1278 in the Horolovar 400 Day Clock Repair Guide. It uses a 0.004 inch thick suspension spring.

Repair job 5015.

I just restored this Schatz standard size 400 day clock with diamond-shaped dial. The movement is dated 5 60 (May 1960) on the back. I think this is one of the most beautiful of 400 day clock designs. Made in the Black Forest of Germany.

The customer told me she had just taken it to a repair shop but that they were unable to repair it. After the movement was disassembled and cleaned, I found a few things that needed doing, in addition to pivot polishing:

• The front anchor pivot was bent and needed straightening (these pivots are thin and get bent easily);
• The rear center pivot was bent and needed straightening (this pivot much thicker than the anchor pivots and is not very easy to accidentally bent);
• Two bushings had been installed in the past (I don’t recommend installing bushings in 400 day clocks) and one was not quite upright and the hole was slightly too tight. I was able to upright the hole with a cutting broach, then I used a smoothing broach to polish it.

I replaced the broken suspension spring, and the clock ran properly. Below is a video:

Here are some photos:

The movement is Horolovar back plate no. 1014A. Suspension unit 6789 with .004 inch thick suspension spring. The base has plastic leveling discs. Repair job 5029.

I just repaired this Koma (Konrad Mauch) miniature 400 day clock from the mid-1950s. The case is 8 1/2 inches tall (not including handle), and is 10 1/4 inches tall including handle. The dial’s diameter is 4 3/8 inches overall. The case has glass in the front and sides, and a hinged brass back door. There is a knob on the back of the movement which is pulled out and turned to set the time.

The movement is similar to Horolovar back plate Nos. 1395C, 1398, 1398A, 1399 and 1399A but says “W4″ in the upper left corner.  The Horolovar 400 Day Clock Repair Guide says that these movements need suspension unit 14A with a .0032 inch thick suspension spring. When I tried the .0032 inch spring, the clock ran too fast. A .0031 inch spring makes this clock regulate properly, with the pendulum’s regulator near the center of its range.

Below is a video of this clock:

Here is a slideshow of this clock:

Repair job 5025.

This 1950s 400 day clock is labeled DeBruce on the dial and Royce Watch Co. on the back plate. It was made by Kundo and is the same as a Kundo standard 400 day clock except for the names. It has the Kundo logo on the back plate. Horolovar back plate no. 1499. It uses .0032 inch thick suspension spring.

Repair job 5009.