Help with a clock?

[shed driver]

OK, it's not a watch, unless it's a pretty massive wrist! I'm posting on behalf of my elderly mum.

She's found my grandparents old wall clock, possibly about 1930 or so. The clock has been in storage in the loft for at least 30 years. I've tried to wind it and the centre winder appears to be fully wound. The other two (I'm assuming for the chimes are free).

A couple of questions.

Is it likely to be broken?
If it is, is it worth repairing?









SD.

[clockworks]

Standard German 3 train movement from a "box" clock. If there is nothing on the dial, it will be pre 1926. After that date, clocks sold in Britain had to be marked with the country of origin, or "foreign".

Most German movements of this type and age were decent quality. They had figured out how to make Westminster chime movements that worked reliably, but hadn't started cutting corners. With care, will last another 100 years.


If it's been in storage for that long, it will need stripping and cleaning. Don't be tempted to just oil it or, even worse, spray it with WD40. Will more than likely need a few bushes, and probably new mainsprings.

Worth getting it sorted if you like it, but you wouldn't get your money back if you sold it.
Expect to pay £350+ for a professional overhaul.
You might get lucky and find a "hobbyist" clock repairer who knows what he's doing, and will take it on for less. A new set of springs is pushing £50 these days, and a proper repair is getting on for 2 days' work.

[shed driver]

Thank you very much, I'll ask her next week.

Is this a "standard" movement that any competent clock repairer should be familiar with?

SD.

[clockworks]

Plenty of very similar movements out there. There are quite a few minor variations around the quarter chime mechanism and the chime corrector, but any competent repairer will have no problems.

I know that some repairers don't really like working on Westmister chime clocks though, so don't be surprised if you have to try a few.