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Setting Up of a Clock, Care and Maintenance.

Congratulations on buying a clock from us. The mechanical movement in your clock is of German origin, hand tested both there and after installation in our workshop. These instructions therefore do not replace the personal attention your clock receives from us during manufacture, delivery, setting up or thereafter.

Setting up of a clock fitted with a Hermle movement only.

1. The cabinet itself fitted with the movement.
2. Three weights - two in the case of weight driven Wall clocks.
3. The pendulum.
4. A winder and/or key in the case of cable movements and clocks with spring cases.
5. In case of a clock that chimes on tubular bells, these will be packed separately.

• Remove the material that keeps the gong rods apart during transport.
• Chain movements: Undo the tape that keeps the chains together. Hold the chains together as they may have come off their sprockets during transport. To rectify this, simply feed them into the leading edge as you would a bicycle chain.
• Cable movements: The loose end of the cable is secured under the movement- ensure that it is still in place. It can slip out during transport.
• Tubular movement: Remove the top back of the clock to expose the movement. Clear the 9 hammers suspended on spring arms of all packing material.

The pendulum has to be attached to the pendulum hanger/guide which is fitted to the back of the movement just in front of the gong rods. Hold the pendulum guide with one hand, whilst with the other hand, you place the pendulum through the slot of the pendulum guide. Lower the pendulum now until it hangs securely from the pendulum guide/hanger.

• Grandfather Clocks: Two of the three weights are the same in mass but the third one is heavier. The two lighter weights have hooks at the top and should be attached to the left and middle chains/cables respectively. The heaviest weight has an eyelet and should be attached to the right hand chain/cable.
  The functions of these three weights are as follows:
  • The right hand weight regulates the chimes on the quarter hours.
  • The left hand weight regulates the hourly chimes.
  • The middle weight keeps the clock running.
• Wall clocks:  The two weights are even in mass. Hang both.

Shift the clock’s chime setting to Silent (see below if you aren’t sure how to Silence movement) and move the minute hand clockwise to the correct time. The chimes can now be activated. Although the chimes have now lost their synchronicity with the time, the mechanism will correct itself within two hours.

The moondial indicates the phases of the moon by rotating clockwise as long as the clock is running, with the moon around the earth on the 29.5 lunar calendar. The stars are decorative and don’t correlate to constellations in the sky.

With your fingertips apply slight pressure to the front of the moon dial and rotate it clock wise until it is directly under #15-the 15th lunar day on the calendar. Now refer to a calendar and determine how many days elapsed since the last full moon. Move the moon dial on correspondingly, i.e. as many days as has elapsed since the last full moon.

Adjusting the clock for accuracy:

This is usually necessary as the specific pendulum and mechanism brought together in your cabinet have not been set to run at the right speed yet.

At the bottom of the pendulum is a setting nut that will retard or advance the speed of the clock. If the clock runs fast (gains time) the setting nut must be turned from right to left i.e. downwards. This will lengthen the pendulum and thus make it go slower. The reverse procedure applies if the clock runs slow. The nut must be turned from left to right i.e. upwards. This will shorten the pendulum and make it go faster. Don’t be shy to turn the nut 20-30 times at first. This will ensure that you can see progress sooner than later. 

All mechanical movements are known as 8-day movements and require winding once a week. All three weights in the case of grandfather clocks, both weights in the case of weight driven wall clocks and all spring cases need winding.  

• Chain driven movements: To wind the clock the respective chains must slowly and evenly be pulled downwards to raise the weights. Never over wind - the full length of the weight must be visible through the glass of the door.
• Cable driven mechanisms are wound by turning the winder clockwise until it will go no further. Spring or coil driven mechanisms are wound clockwise until the stiffness comes to full resistance (after approx.10-12 “wrist winds”).

Care and maintenance:

Matt finished and oiled cabinets need to be oiled with WOODOC deep penetrating wax or a similar product once every second month. Oiled cabinets require oil more often at the outset, as much as once a week for the first two months. The back and inside of these clocks also need oil once a year.

Mechanism:
Avoid skin contact with the dial, weights and pendulum as much as possible, as the acidity of our skins effect the anodized brass aluminium. It may be dusted with a soft cloth whenever necessary or to remove finger prints. Never apply any chemicals or fluids to the surface.

The mechanism's service intervals are between 10-15 years. We will put you in contact with a reputable clockmaker in your area for such a service. Never oil the mechanism yourself.

Trouble shooting

Clock stops after running a few hours or even minutes:

If at first the clock stops after a few minutes, repeat the procedure to start your clockPlace your hand on the side of the pendulum disk and move it to the far left and release. Your clock is fitted with an automatic beat adjustment, and the exaggerated swing is setting the beat or balance. Also -

Ensure that the clock stands/hangs level.

If the minute hand is in the last quarter before the hour: move it manually to the hour and allow the clock to strike the complete chime at the hour.

If, after following the above pointers and moving the pendulum to the far left of centre, the clock still fails to start:

• Unhooking the weights on the left and right and the pendulum. Wall clocks - unhook the pendulum only: Push the pendulum guide/hanger gently either to the left or the right in the line of swing into the resistance until it moves freely and evenly. This procedure sets the movement in balance and may have to be repeated several times before balance is achieved. Once the hanger moves freely and evenly, and the tick-tock sounds even, use your finger to stop it and hook the pendulum to the hanger.
• Activate the pendulum by giving it a slight push at the bottom in the line of swing just enough to set the mechanism in motion. Elaborate manual swinging will upset the balance again. If the "tick-tock" sound is even (Note: You may add some extra weight on the middle weight by pushing down on it with a finger, thereby increasing the volume of the "tick-tock" sound.) your balance is set and your clock will run for 8 days before it needs rewinding.

Clocks featuring a "Night shut off" facility: If your clock doesn’t chime when the night shut off is activated and you are in day time, your clock is in night time. Shift the clock to Silent again and move the minute hand on through night time, to the correct time.

Ensure that the clock is not on Silent or in between melody selections.

Ensure that all the packing material is removed from the gong rods.

Ensure that the hammers correspond each to its gong rod. If not, you may simply bend the hammer arm in the desired direction.

WALL CLOCK: If your wall clock is weight driven and plays the Westminster melody: You will most likely find that the last three hammers are retracted and don’t play along. Simply push all three forward, simultaneously, until they touch the gong rods and release. They will chime a few times and will now play along.

Quarterly Chimes do not correlate with time indicated:

Move the minute hand until the mechanism chimes an hour. Make a note of the time chimed.

Now, be careful not to scratch the hands or the dial. Unscrew the nut that holds the hands together. Remove both hands from the dial.

Place both hands back immediately to indicate the time chimed by the mechanism. Now the minute hand can be moved clockwise to indicate real the time.

Ensure that the clock is on Silent if the minute hand is moved past the quarter hours without waiting for it to chime fully.

You may move the hour hand clockwise or anti clockwise to correspond with the hours chimed. Now reset the time by shifting the clock to Silent, and moving the minute hand on.

Chimes sound false or soft:

If the chimes sound false you may check to see if each hammer strikes its corresponding gong rod, and if the hammer is a millimeter of two away from the gong rod when it is not chiming. If not, either the hammers or the gong rods may be bent to ensure that the hammers strike the gongs well in the centre and don’t touch each other or the gong rods in rest.

Please note that there is no volume control on these mechanical movements.

The clarity of sound is determined by the distance between the hammer and the tube. This can be adjusted by turning the thumb screw in or out, so lengthening or shortening the nylon string that is attached to the back of the hammer.

The volume can also be adjusted on these movements by turning the volume screw on the bottom of the spring arm

NB: If the tension is too strong on either of the above nuts, the hammers will be inhibited from moving.

Allow the clock to run for 4 hours, as the gears linking the moon dial to the movement are engaged. Once the gear disengages you will be able to move the moon dial.

Also see if the click spring rests on the teeth of the moon dial. If not, pull it back a few centimetres and release, it will spring into alignment unto the ragged teeth of the moon dial

Clock gains or loses time:

Adjust setting the nut as indicated above, under Adjusting clock for accuracy

Do this once a day at roughly the same time and then readjust the minute hand to indicate real time.

The setting nut may be turned quite a few times at the outset-as many as 20-30 “wrist turns”. Being a mechanical clock you’ve got the law of physics on you side: A longer pendulum swings slower or further than a shorter pendulum and this has direct bearing on the speed of the clock-no exceptions in this case.

You are welcome to contact us for further assistance.

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