Timepieces are rare and valuable when they are pieces of someone’s life. When they have meaning or are very special to the people who own them, those are the clocks that most enthuse me.
– David Olekna
Many of the clocks we repair may not be classified as rare or valuable, but they are to the people who bring them in. A gentleman brings in his Frank Lloyd Wright inspired wall clock. The clock had fallen off the wall and the wooden case is broken and so he wants it restored. Upon inspection, the battery operated movement is broken as well. The challenge was more in putting the wood case back together in one piece which took many hours and 10 clamps to hold it together while the glue set. The gentleman was thrilled to get it back in one piece.
Atmos 540 Movement
Another repair was the Atmos 540. This is not a terribly rare clock, but the version is uncommon. It actually came out of Princeton Jewelers. The woman who brought it in had the original jewelers box it came in). It was a 30 or 40 year service award to a bank employee. To repair it, I had to call Peter Bruno the semi-retired US service person for Atmos. I was lucky because Peter speaks to few callers, but he gave me very valuable advice on this repair on three different calls. The take down and reassembly of this movement is extremely tedious and most repair people won’t touch it, but Peter Bruno says, “Oh, you can do it, Dave. It just drops back together no big deal.” His trust in my ability was what got me through the reassembly. He was right, I could do it. But I had to chuckle, it just didn’t drop back together as easily as he said.
A customer brings in an early United wall clock made in 1953. The clock has a nice brass case, but the electric motor that powers the hands is burnt out. The customer wants a battery movement installed so she doesn’t have to plug it in. In order to make that happen, I buy a diamond hole saw to cut a perfect hole in the brass case back so the new movement could be set or have its batteries changed. The saw cost more than repair charges.
Another person brings in a deck clock from a World War Battleship or Destroyer. The clock was obtained by a family member who may have fought in World War II. The clock is rare to the owner and there is a connection to the family. This makes the repair all the more rewarding.