Clock Repair by Bill's Clockworks

Welcome! Bill's Clockworks is in Flora, Indiana (about an hour north of Indianapolis). I repair antique and modern American, German, and French clocks, 400-day (anniversary) clocks, Schatz-1000 day clocks, Seth Thomas antique clocks and windup chime clocks, cuckoo clocks including Schatz cuckoo clocks and some German Ship's Bell clocks.

Please e-mail me (for quickest response) about the clock you need to have repaired, or call me at 574-967-4709 or toll-free at 888-742-5625. We can set up an appointment for you to visit or arrange for you to ship your clock to me.

Examples of clocks we repair:

Schatz London Coach 400 Day ClockSchatz standard 400-day clock dated 10 54 (October 1954)

400 Day Anniversary Clock Repair

Schatz 1000 Day Clock Repair

American Antique Clock Repair

Seth Thomas Antique Clock Repair

Seth Thomas Chime Clock Repair

Modern Chime Clock Repair

Schatz Cuckoo Clock Repair

We warranty pendulum clock overhauls for two years and guarantee all replaced parts for two years as well. We keep your clock as original as possible and replace parts only when necessary.

See my clock information blog for examples of clocks I've repaired recently.

Many of my repair jobs are family heirloom clocks. Customers come in and explain how their clock came to them, often from a grandparent or other older family member. They want the clock repaired correctly so they can pass it down in the family. I describe my philosophy of repair, including making sure the mainsprings are not too strong for the clock. I keep the clock as original as possible, not making any drastic cosmetic changes. I will touch up the case finish and clean the surface if desired.

I try to limit the number of pending repair jobs in my shop. Storing too many clocks is a liability concern, and I have a fixed amount of room for storage. When the shop gets too full, I keep a waiting list of repair jobs; and it peaked at a one year waiting period in 2021 to 2022. As I notified potential customers that I was ready to repair their clock, only about one-third responded after waiting a year. Thus, my repair backlog has decreased to perhaps 3 to 5 months as of autumn 2023. This repair backlog seems cyclical, and whenever it got short, it always increased again. My goal is to have a steady supply of clocks to repair, of the types I enjoy most.

You want to take your clock to someone experienced. If you take your valued heirloom antique American clock to someone inexperienced, they may install mainsprings that are too strong, causing excessive wear. I replace excessively strong mainsprings with longer, thin ones that will make the clock keep more uniform time and develop less wear in the future. My repair prices reflect my expertise.

I've repaired clocks full time since August 1995; and about half time from April 1991 to August 1995, while I moved twice and renovated and fitted up two clock repair shops (Lomax, Illinois and my current shop in Flora, Indiana). Before that, I repaired clocks as a hobby, starting as a teenager.

Some clock repair shops "do it all." I don't repair everything, but I specialize in 400-day clocks, American antique clocks, and French and German clocks. Currently, I'm not doing house calls on floor clocks, but will repair those brought to me (as I have time and space to take them in). My favorite types of clocks to work on are Seth Thomas with No. 89 or No. 124 movements and Schatz and Kundo 400-day clocks. You can see what else I repair on the menu at the top of this page.

Our repair backlog is about 3 - 5 months. Please contact us about sending a clock for repair.

Price Estimates:

Click on a specific clock type under "Clock Repair Categories" in the menu at top for repair estimates.

On antique clocks, it is impossible to give a precise estimate up front, which is why we give a price range. After I disassemble and clean your clock, I examine each part and do the repair work it needs. Once we start, we do all the repair work required to put the movement into proper running condition. We think you agree it makes no sense to skip some needed repair work while the clock is apart. If you ask us to "cut corners" and skip some repairs to keep to a certain price, we cannot guarantee the work. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate, but for the reasons explained below, some repair jobs exceed the high estimate given. We will be pleased, of course, if we can properly do all the repair work for less.

Guarantee:

We guarantee our overhauls for two years on pendulum clocks and one year on electric clocks. This covers any work that we do and any parts that we replace.

How we overhaul your clock:

We do the following steps to restore your clock to excellent operating condition:

Repair bills on the high side are common because:

As dust gets into the mechanism, the oil becomes an abrasive paste, which causes wear. The longer the clock runs in this condition, the more repair it will need. Many American clocks have very strong mainsprings which will run the clock for many years after the oil has gone bad, causing severe wear to pivots and pivot holes. When the clock finally stops, it will take extra work to bring it back to proper condition so we can guarantee it. Previous repair work by unskilled personnel causes more work for us and will increase the repair bill. And some clocks never ran well when new because of factory defects. Often these problems are not visible until the movement is apart and cleaned. Less than one out of ten clocks we receive for repair are in such good condition that the repair bill is near the minimum! Many clocks will need so much work that the repair bill is near the maximum. Sometimes we go over the high estimate due to wear or damage much more severe than average.

Myths

"It probably just needs to be cleaned."

A clock movement must be taken apart to be cleaned properly. While it is apart, it makes sense to do the repair work as well. We see almost no clocks that have been so well maintained that they need only cleaning. (Except for clocks that I overhauled up to 10 or 15 years ago).

"My clock is wound too tight."

It is time for the clock to be overhauled. The oil has dried up and there may be wear and damage as well. When a clock is so dirty or worn that it is about to stop, often it will stop right after being wound, because the full force of the mainspring pushes the pivots into the worn part of the pivot holes, suddenly increasing the friction.

"I sprayed some WD-40 on it and it worked fine for a while."

You may have added $150 to your repair bill. This miracle stuff works fine on cars, but it can gum up a clock, ruin batches of cleaning fluid, and cause excessive wear. If your clock stops and you spray it with oil to make it go again, the movement may wear badly, because dust will stick to the oil, forming an abrasive paste which cuts through brass and steel parts.
Our repair backlog is about 3 - 5 months. Please contact us about sending a clock for repair.