Our Clock Repair Service

Schatz London Coach 400 Day Clock — 400 Day Anniversary Clock Repair

Schatz standard 400 day clock dated 10 54 (October 1954) — 400 Day Anniversary Clock Repair

Schatz 1000 day clock in rectangular case — Schatz 1000 Day Clock Repair

Schatz 1000 day clock with dome — Schatz 1000 Day Clock Repair

Seth Thomas Antique Clock Repair

Seth Thomas Chime Clock Repair

Bill's Clockworks is located in Flora, Indiana (about an hour north of Indianapolis). Besides local repair work, we are happy to have smaller clocks shipped to us for repair (such as mantel clocks and smaller shelf clocks).

Pendulum clocks we overhaul are covered by a two year warranty, and any parts we replace are warranted for two years as well. We keep your clock as original as possible, and replace parts only when necessary.

We 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, Schatz cuckoo clocks, and some German Ship's Bell clocks.

Our repair backlog is about 10 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 fixed estimate up front, which is why we give a price range. Once your clock has been disassembled and cleaned, we 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 will agree that it makes no sense to skip some needed repair work while the clock is disassembled. If you ask us to "cut corners" and skip some repairs to keep to a certain price, we will not be able to 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:

Take the movement apart and clean it;
Examine the parts for wear and damage, and check for correct operation;
Do the necessary repair work including repairing the pinions, polishing the pivots, bushing worn pivot holes, checking and repairing the mainspring ratchets, testing and correcting wheel meshing, and checking the mainsprings;
Clean the parts again;
Clean the pivot holes with pegwood and final clean the pivots;
Assemble and lubricate the movement;
Test the movement with minimum power and regulate it;
Put the movement in the case, put it in beat, adjust the strike, and make other necessary adjustments;
Test the clock for at least two days while regulating it for correct timekeeping;
Notifiy you by letter, phone or E-mail that your treasure is ready to go home.

Repair bills on the high side are common for the following reasons:

As dust gets in 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 due to factory defects. Often these problems are not visible until the movement is disassembled 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! About four out of ten clocks will need so much work that the repair bill is near the maximum. And as mentioned above, once in while we go over the high estimate due to wear or damage much more severe than average.

Shortcuts are bad:

If your clock stops and you spray it with oil to make it go again, the movement will wear badly, because dust will stick to the oil, forming an abrasive paste which cuts through brass and steel parts. Shortcuts like cleaning the movement whole, even using an ultrasonic cleaner, cannot properly clean pivots, pivot holes, and mainsprings, and often promotes rust. These techniques merely postpone the need for a proper overhaul.

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 necessary repair work as well. We see almost no clocks that have been so well maintained that they need only cleaning.

"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.

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

You may have added $100 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.