After doing a search of the Forum, I saw no information on this, so in a word: HELP!
I have at least two very nice analog clocks that need repaired. Is there any trustworthy people out there who can repair clocks, either free or for a fee?
I don’t mind paying the cash, but with one clock, I have been looking for a person to repair it for years. It is not my clock, and the owner can’t get it fixed either.
Thank you for your assistance.
I would think that a general watch-and-clock repairer should at least be able to take a look at them. “Watchmakers” are a dying breed, but still out there in larger cities. When I was in Spokane (12 years ago) there was a little shop that specialized in antique pocketwatches and the owner did really good repairs. It would surprise me if he were still in business. But there certainly are clock repairers out there, for antiques and so forth. And analog chess clocks aren’t anything but two clock mechanisms sharing a common motor spring along with the toggling mechanism.
You’ll pay through the nose to repair them, is my guess. Almost certainly more than their actual monetary value. But I’ve yet to meet a competent watchmaker who wouldn’t at least open up a mechanism to take a look at it - good ones are tinkerers by nature. Free repairs are, all too sadly, worth exactly what you paid for them.
Failing being able to locate one close by, you could survey local jewelers to ask if they know of any that they’d send a watch beyond their repair capability to. (Jewelers these days, in my experience, handle battery and crystal replacements, but anything complex they either refuse to fix or send off for repair.)
I take it that they’re probably old enough that the manufacturer is no longer in business? That’s where I’d start, if I could. They may have information as to where you could get them repaired, or just potentially be able to do it in house - though I doubt that.
But good luck!
If you can find someone who sells or repairs clocks, the clock mechanism is about the same. The only differences are no alarm, two of them in the same box, and a rocker arm that pushes/removes a spring from the balance wheel to stop or start it.
Nashville Clocks does repairs.
http://www.akama.com/company/Nashville_Clock_a50601552658.html
They’re a repair shop (as opposed to a retail clock store).
The trick is to find a clock shop that can do the repairs and pray that they stick around. One problem you can run into with analog clock repair is that the shop may need to send out for parts. This is especially true for the screws on the back of the clock and sometimes for the winder as well. Be prepared to wait quite a long while [it took a year once for a winder to come in from Seattle to the Chicago area] and be prepared to pay money for the repairs. That will be the case even if all the analog clock needs is a new battery. Do not forget that it may also be possible to cannibalize clocks for parts to repair other analog clocks, but don’t count on it.
Remember that like normal clocks there are limits to what can be done to repair an analog clock. A clock that has been overwound is likely a dead clock that must be replaced. Also, it may be a simple repair that even you could do, but may not want to try. If the problem is that the clock is not stopping when the button is pushed, then all that may be needed is to adjust the metal tab that hangs down to stop the clock. If the clock is in a plastic casing that has become warped [due to heat or some other reason], then it is again likely to be a hopeless cause.
Just try doing a search [google, ask, or just yellow pages] on the internet for “Clock Repairs” and you may find something in your area. Or you can spend really big bucks and send it back to the maker, even if they are no longer in the chess clock business, they may still be in the clock business and may even be willing to do the repair. This though is a real long shot. Good luck in getting the “Chess Timer” [as it is sometimes called] fixed.
-Larry Cohen
Nashville Clock has been around for a very long time. I stopped by in the 90’s, and even back then it looked like it had been around for a while. I think its a family run operation.