Bill’s Clockworks
Clock Repair - Flora, IN

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Clock Repair - Flora, Indiana

Instructions for Hermle Mechanical Ship's Bell Clock

8-Day Key Wind

1) Unpack the clock

Take clock and key carefully out of carton.

2) Transportation securing device

Open the back of the clock (either remove the round plastic cover or open the sliding door). Carefully remove the rubber band holding the hammer. Close the back of the clock.

Open the font of the clock and remove tissue paper from the hands.

3) Winding the clock

Please wind your clock fully every 7 days for optimum performance (the clock will actually run about 8 - 9 days on one winding). To wind the clock use the enclosed key. Turn key clockwise until it stops. The right winder is for the time, and the left one is for the striking.

4) Setting the clock

The minute hand (long hand) may be moved clockwise or counterclockwise to set the clock to the correct time. Never turn the hour (short) hand, it moves automatically.

Note: the clock must be upright (not laying down) for the striking to work.

6) Regulating the clock

This clock will keep time to within about 2 - 4 minutes per week. If it is off more than that:

First, make sure both winders are being fully wound every 7 days.

To regulate the clock: Use the lever with the + and - symbols on the upper right side of the dial. Move it to + to speed it up, and towards - to slow it down. make only a very small adjustment each time, and then set the clock and test it for several days.

7) Silencing the bells

The striking may be turned off by moving the lever on the upper left side of the dial to the "no bell" position.

8) The ship's bell code

Ship's bell strike is based on "watches" onboard ship of 4 hours each. A new watch starts at noon, 4 p.m., 8 p.m., midnight, 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. The end of a "watch" and start of a new watch is marked by the bell being struck 8 times. A half hour later, the bell is struck once, with an additional strike each half hour until the end of the watch. Then the cycle starts again. The bells are struck in pairs, that is, the first two bells are struck close together followed by a pause, then the next two, etc. The table below shows the pattern of the bells.