My wife found this Kern Quartz anniversary-style clock at a secondhand shop a few weeks back. It wasn't working but she bought it for the standard-size glass dome.
We're not really into the quartz models although this becomes number five that we have operating, three of which were picked up for their glass domes but happened to work after a bit of prodding.
Most of the quartz models I see look cheap, even from a distance. There's something about the shiny plastic and the simplistic pendulums that gives them away. But this one is different. The pendulum looks like the real thing - it even has the fast-slow adjuster disc (though I haven't tried it to see if it turns, or adjusts the pendulum, but it can't serve much purpose given the pendulum is purely decorative). From the front, the clock looks convincingly like a wind-up model. As with almost all quartz clocks, it looks like a cheap toy from the back but the plastic body does hide some clever engineering.
The movement is based around an electronic coil and a hairspring balance which can be adjusted via a screw, somewhat like the real thing on other clocks. I don't know the first thing about electronics, so can't tell you much more than the circuit board has just two components, plus the coil.
The pendulum hangs on a suspension wire housed in a top and bottom block and which carries a single-tine "fork" driven by a plastic star wheel. One part which has me fascinated is the bi-directional cork-screw type thread below the coil, that "pulses" the movement by advancing a gear one tooth at a time as it oscillates. I guess it's like an escapement except it pushes teeth, rather than releasing them.
The negative battery terminal was corroded so I MacGyver'd up a replacement and after some messing around and cleaning other parts, it started to tick. Minutes later, the pendulum was swinging just like the real thing.
The clock base has levelling feet and a locking suspension cup. It attracts a magnet, so I assume it's brass over steel. I'm not sure how much polishing it will take but if I can get a shine on it, this will probably be something I'd consider selling to help fund the next "real" clock. I'll need to choose a decent plastic dome for it though.
The clock is quite a bit heavier than other quartz models we have, and I'm guessing it might be a fairly early example. If anyone can guesstimate an age, I'd appreciate the info.
We're not really into the quartz models although this becomes number five that we have operating, three of which were picked up for their glass domes but happened to work after a bit of prodding.
Most of the quartz models I see look cheap, even from a distance. There's something about the shiny plastic and the simplistic pendulums that gives them away. But this one is different. The pendulum looks like the real thing - it even has the fast-slow adjuster disc (though I haven't tried it to see if it turns, or adjusts the pendulum, but it can't serve much purpose given the pendulum is purely decorative). From the front, the clock looks convincingly like a wind-up model. As with almost all quartz clocks, it looks like a cheap toy from the back but the plastic body does hide some clever engineering.
The movement is based around an electronic coil and a hairspring balance which can be adjusted via a screw, somewhat like the real thing on other clocks. I don't know the first thing about electronics, so can't tell you much more than the circuit board has just two components, plus the coil.
The pendulum hangs on a suspension wire housed in a top and bottom block and which carries a single-tine "fork" driven by a plastic star wheel. One part which has me fascinated is the bi-directional cork-screw type thread below the coil, that "pulses" the movement by advancing a gear one tooth at a time as it oscillates. I guess it's like an escapement except it pushes teeth, rather than releasing them.
The negative battery terminal was corroded so I MacGyver'd up a replacement and after some messing around and cleaning other parts, it started to tick. Minutes later, the pendulum was swinging just like the real thing.
The clock base has levelling feet and a locking suspension cup. It attracts a magnet, so I assume it's brass over steel. I'm not sure how much polishing it will take but if I can get a shine on it, this will probably be something I'd consider selling to help fund the next "real" clock. I'll need to choose a decent plastic dome for it though.
The clock is quite a bit heavier than other quartz models we have, and I'm guessing it might be a fairly early example. If anyone can guesstimate an age, I'd appreciate the info.



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