How accurate is your chiming wall clock?

[HorologyBuff]

Is this a key winder? What model and make and vintage is it? How little does it gain or lose over a week's time or a month's time? Do you just reset it with your LCD watch each and every time you wind it?

 

[bruce linde]

just to be clear… do you really mean ‘chiming’? or ‘striking’?

 

[rmarkowitz1_cee4a1]

Is this a key winder? What model and make and vintage is it? How little does it gain or lose over a week's time or a month's time? Do you just reset it with your LCD watch each and every time you wind it?

I run 2 banjo clocks (non-"chiming), a Maine mirror clock ("chiming"), a NH mirror clock (non-"chiming"), and a weight driven Vienna regulator (non-"chiming") out of literally 100's of antique clocks. Note the aforementioned are all weight driven. The power of springs does depend upon how wound they are.

After each clock was purchased and set up, there was a period when they were adjusted so they would not lose or gain much time through the course of their run which is around 8 days. Even so, each one gains/loses a bit. And yes, I adjust them a bit using my iPhone. And as a time keeper, that is about all my iPhone is good for. Certainly not as a horological object. Absolute accuracy is not the sole determinant of why a clock or timepiece is valued and why it should be collected and discussed.

A true horology buff would understand that.

RM

 

[bruce linde]

i use Just the current time for Ephrata. No distractions. - Time.is when winding and regulating my clocks every week. i am currently running over 50, most of which (but not all) are weight driven. at this point most of them are within 30 seconds over 8-day runs... but temperature and barometric pressure changes can affect them. for me, half the fun is winding and regulating them... the other half is enjoying these perfect combinations of mechanics, physics, math and gravity... that are all at least 100 years old.

the underlying horological principles that allow them to run reliably for that long pre-date my clocks by hundreds of years. da vinci, galileo, huygens, graham and others fascinate me. typically, when someone says they're a horology buff that's the kind of horology they're talking about, not $4 quartz movements...

that said, we all get to decide what floats our boat... or not.

as to RM's comment "iPhone is good as a time keeper, not as a horological object'... he's spot on. just because something tells time (a mobile phone... the clock on a computer) doesn't make it horological... except in the broadest-based most simplistic and surface level manner possible. diving deeper into how quartz movements actually work would be horological... talking about which quartz movement clock to buy from amazon? no.

that's why you're not getting a more favorable or enthusiastic response to your questions from the regulars here... but i can assure you they're ready to talk horology any time.


oh... and i have recently acquired multiple chelsea ships bell and time only clocks (spring driven) that have been either factory or professionally restored to (essentially) brand new condition. they all keep remarkably accurate time... whereas they didn't always before the servicings. with mechanical clocks condition makes a huge difference in accuracy...

rmarkowitz1_cee4a1 - does your mirror clock really chime? or does it strike (the hours)?

 

[rmarkowitz1_cee4a1]

i use Just the current time for Ephrata. No distractions. - Time.is when winding and regulating my clocks every week. i am currently running over 50, most of which (but not all) are weight driven. at this point most of them are within 30 seconds over 8-day runs... but temperature and barometric pressure changes can affect them. for me, half the fun is winding and regulating them... the other half is enjoying these perfect combinations of mechanics, physics, math and gravity... that are all at least 100 years old.

the underlying horological principles that allow them to run reliably for that long pre-date my clocks by hundreds of years. da vinci, galileo, huygens, graham and others fascinate me. typically, when someone says they're a horology buff that's the kind of horology they're talking about, not $4 quartz movements...

that said, we all get to decide what floats our boat... or not.

as to RM's comment "iPhone is good as a time keeper, not as a horological object'... he's spot on. just because something tells time (a mobile phone... the clock on a computer) doesn't make it horological... except in the broadest-based most simplistic and surface level manner possible. diving deeper into how quartz movements actually work would be horological... talking about which quartz movement clock to buy from amazon? no.

that's why you're not getting a more favorable or enthusiastic response to your questions from the regulars here... but i can assure you they're ready to talk horology any time.


oh... and i have recently acquired multiple chelsea ships bell and time only clocks (spring driven) that have been either factory or professionally restored to (essentially) brand new condition. they all keep remarkably accurate time... whereas they didn't always before the servicings. with mechanical clocks condition makes a huge difference in accuracy...

rmarkowitz1_cee4a1 - does your mirror clock really chime? or does it strike (the hours)?

No, it strikes the hours. So many incorrectly use “chime” & “strike” interchangeably, which is what I suspected here. Note that I put chime in quotation marks.

RM

 

[JimmyOz]

It does not matter which type of clock it is they all have to be adjusted, I am sure I read somewhere even atomic clocks need to be also.

I love to get a clock that has a movement I have not repaired before to see how it works, or a case that is in need of a lot of TLC or droll over some of the finest collections I have come across on the WWW. Let's face it, if accuracy was what I was wanting I would buy an atomic clock, however I see clocks as works of art made by artists, you can't get that from a digital readout.

 

[HorologyBuff]

"Within 30 seconds over 8-day runs" seems pretty good for a purely mechanical timepiece not made in a Swiss watch factory. By "chimes" I mean some sort of "bell sounds" on the hour, quarter hour, 1/2 hour and/or 3/4 hour.

HOROLOGY to me means what it means according to the dictionary.


noun
the art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time.


Horology Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

People here seem chiefly interested in timepieces with predominately mechanical movements and and/or of a vintage era. I might term that special interest, CLASSICAL HOROLOGY. We can make an analogy with cameras as well. Some people might be into DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY or CLASSICAL PHOTOGRAPHY. The latter uses film or emulsion plates to process the images of subjects. It might even extend to using single flashbulbs in a 1950's Kodak Brownie Hawkeye . My mother owned one at one time.

HOROLOGY, to me, extends to telling time by celestial observation, counting moons as Americans Indians did or still do and even Chinese water clocks.

To me even a charming old winding or weight clock has to provide an acceptable degree of accuracy for me to appreciate it in my own home. I can't afford to look up at it one morning and have it be so slow that it gets me late for work or something bad like that.

 

[Willie X]

Well, some will do what you like and some will not. Willie X

 

[bruce linde]

ok, misc. comments in response to yours....

my clock mentor has a regulator made in 1840 that is on track to be within 15 or so seconds for this year. would that be accurate enough for you? especially given the typical +/- 15 seconds per month accuracy offered by your run of the mill quartz movement? or are you still talking about your defective quartz movement clock from walmart as if the fact that it runs slow is worth even mentioning? that's like concluding we need to invent better car engines because yours threw a rod.

the statements you keep making are in contrast with your handle... a buff is a person who is a big fan of or knowledgeable about something... but you seem to be confusing 'fan' with 'knowledgeable'. there are people here who are trained, certified and professional horologists and clockmakers. then, there are very informed collectors who know a ton. then, there are hobbyists... ranging from knowledgable to learning but nevertheless passionate. many of us have been studying these topics for years... you've been here like five days.

- you said 'chiming' but you almost certainly meant 'striking. 'striking' and 'chiming' are and mean very different and explicit things. and, some clocks strike bells, some strike gongs, and some strike rods. it makes a difference.

- you ask about model, make and vintage of mechanical clock, and yet there's kind of an infinite variety. seth thomas employed 800 people in 1880 and was churning out 10,000 clocks (hundreds of models) every month... and at the same time there were over a dozen american clock companies, and many more in other countries. that's why we have a new acquisitions forum and always look forward to seeing something we haven't seen before.

- you say you're into the art or science of making clocks... but that's not what you've been posting about. you've been posting about which modern quartz clock to buy... without seeming to be aware of regular quartz movements vs. HAC (high accuracy quartz) movements offered in some higher end watches... or showing that you've put in the research required to back up your assertions.

- speaking of accuracy, even thirty seconds off after a week would not really be noticeable or 'cause you to be late for work'... please. and, since you'd be regulating the clock and re-setting the time each time you wound it, that number would be improving dramatically week to week. the vast majority of my clocks do way better than 30 seconds a week.... some are dead on week to week... not bad for clocks over 100 years old.

the message board is a phenomenal research library if you really want to learn about horology. i spent my first few years here reading everything in 'general discussions' and 'clock repair'... and am still learning. part of that education has been figuring out who the teachers are... and which ones are willing to offer their time and insights... and how to keep them wanting to do so.

Item Detail

net.nawcc.org

 

[Les harland]

Taking a clock that is gaining say ten minutes a day and resetting it to within a minute a day can be very satisfying

 

[HorologyBuff]

Let's just say I'm emotionally attached to clocks and watches somewhat but I'm not really a doctor of the subject. After my Walmart clock failed miserably I thought I had a better idea for an improved design. I'd thought I share my idea here on a forum dedicated to clocks and watch to hear what others thought. I now understand that my notion of improving cheap clocks wasn't such a big hit after all. I'm no longer swooning over my failed Walmart clock and I'm now seeking a more reliable timepiece to hang over my front door that does not cost an arm and a leg. I'm gun shy about buying another Walmart clock ever again. I've better things to do with my personal time than reset a clock daily. Once every DLS changeover is enough for me.

Right now there are a total of 9 clocks and watches combined that are active timekeepers in my personal life.

1. 1995 Toyota Corolla factory dash clock
2. Sony clock radio by my bed
3. Sony clock radio in my bathroom
4. classic Casio LCD Illuminator watch (please see my avatar)
5. Motorola Moto E6 phone clock
6. home-built PC in bedroom
7. home-built PC in living room hooked up to television set
8. clock on kitchen stove
9. Samsung notebook

Additionally = I have a round Marathon LCD wall clock on the way to take the place of the Walmart junk over my front door. The Walmart junk shall soon take a one-way trip to the local Salvation Army, battery not included.

I also own the following watches:

1. grandpa's old gold Waltham pocket watch
2. dad's 1972 Seiko Automatic with day/date
3. 1925 Hamilton men's dress watch with lizard band
4. spare classic Casio LCD Illuminator watch that's in mint condition, I have a copy of that for everyday wear

 

[HorologyBuff]

Taking a clock that is gaining say ten minutes a day and resetting it to within a minute a day can be very satisfying

I gave my mother a key-wound limited-edition Constitution Clock for Christmas in 1986. I inherited it back from her in 1991. I fiddled with the nut on the pendulum bob enough to get this hourly/half-hourly spiral spring gonger within a minute over a week's time. The clock was an 8-day clock wound weekly and winding the clock was when the time was taken to get the minute hand right back on the money. I gave this clock to a paternal uncle of mine as a gift in 2000. He passed in 2003 so I don't know whatever became of this. I do miss it. The photo is not likely the same clock I'm talking about but a photo of the same model I found online.

 

[ToddT]

I have an Emperor wall clock I assembled from a kit in 1989, and the movement was replaced in the late 1990s due to a broken click or spring. Routinely does less than +/- 5 minutes / week depending on weather / time of year. Currently it's running less than +1 minute / week.

We have an atomic LED clock in the bedroom that projects on the ceiling. (Great for checking time during the night without having to move!) It automatically adjusts time for daylight savings time and if you unplug it for any reason. Curiously enough, it gradually gains time, one minute / month or so. And if you unplug it and plug it back in, it will still be fast by the same amount of time as before you unplugged it. It requires manually adjusting the time to get it on the correct minute. There have to be two timing mechanisms in the clock, one that hears the atomic signal and one displaying and tracking local time. There must also be some sort of sync mechanism between the two, and that mechanism must be gradually drifting.

I generally adjust my clocks by looking at my Citizen analog Eco-Drive watch.

I do love the mechanics of an old clock, along with the history, engineering, and ingenuity. I love the engineering that goes into a modern computer, too. But there is something very satisfying and "hands on" about watching and listening to old gears, levers, and other mechanical devices spin, whirl, and still do something useful, something that was state-of-the-art at the time, even if there are better and more efficient methods of doing the same today. Hence my love of old clocks, old cars, and old tractors.

 

[HorologyBuff]

My handle might then be overstated. AccuracyNut might be even a better handle.

 

[Schatznut]

My handle might then be overstated. AccuracyNut might be even a better handle.
View attachment 680674 View attachment 680675

Let's keep on topic. This forum is not Facebook.

 

[bruce linde]

I also own the following watches:
1. grandpa's old gold Waltham pocket watch
2. dad's 1972 Seiko Automatic with day/date
3. 1925 Hamilton men's dress watch with lizard band
4. spare classic Casio LCD Illuminator watch that's in mint condition, I have a copy of that for everyday wear

those would certainly be of interest in the watch forums…

 

[HorologyBuff]

I can see I'm getting ganged up upon here.

 

[HorologyBuff]

Let's keep on topic. This forum is not Facebook.

Nor is it Readers Digest. Anyway, I've beat wall clocks to death here already I rest my case on this thread. Over and out.

 

[Isaac]

I can see I'm getting ganged up upon here.

I've read through the responses here, and I've not interpreted it as people ganging up upon you - one of the tricky things with the internet is that you lose all nonverbal cues, so sometimes you can interpret it as people attacking you when really people are just looking to help out.

Going along with what Bruce said, I've been collecting chiming clocks (and have recently expanded into watches) since I was 12. 10 years later, and I'm still learning and appreciating the hobby as much as I did when I got my hands on my first inexpensive clock. I will warn you that the clock bug will "strike" if you get into collecting mechanical clocks.

To answer your original question, my Kienzle WM chiming wall clock gains around 20-30 seconds per week after I serviced it.

Regards.