Hi,

I just got one of these special timepieces. It is in excellent condition cosmetically, and keeps pretty good time (a little over 2 seconds per day fast).

I know nothing of the maintenance history of this clock, other than that there is a Japanese sticker dated in 1967, and one from "Geo. E. Butler Co." of San Francisco, a chronometer maker apparently of some renown, showing a service in 1968.

I want to take good care of this clock, so I'm curious what the prudent thing to do with it would be (given that I'm not made of money, and I suspect that servicing this clock would mean sending it away to a specialist).

Thanks.

--Mark

Mark

Welcome aboard.

From what I have learned it would be best to have it service. Most watches need to be serviced every five years I believe.

You might check with Chris Abell, a member of this club & a Master Watchmaker. He is highly recommended by me & by numerous members of this site.

Again, welcome & we all would enjoy seeing photos of your Model 21.

Tom

Hey Mark, Welcome on Board the "185 SPECIAL"....It is good to have you as a member with us....

I agree with Tom, you couldn't find a better more capable 'WatchMaker' than Chris Abel to service your watch for you, and his fees are very reasonable.

You can reach Chris here....

www.Abellwatchmakers.com

When you get the time, it will be nice to see photos of your watch.

Again, Welcome on board the 185 EXPRESS, we're going places....

Regards,
Jerry

Thanks for the help. I contacted Chris, who doesn't work on clocks as big as this one, but who advised that I should leave well enough alone, and not service it until it's running less well.

I understand it's technically a watch, although it's a big one. The box is 7.5" on a side:

Hi

It is a model 21 14 jewel fusee movement correct? I have always wanted one of those.

Tom

That's it exactly.

It's quite petite, compared to my clocks, and very attractive. Its ticking is very distinctive.

It seems that they're not getting any cheaper, and more and more they're ending up in eastern Europe and the far east.

I decided that when I found what looked to be a good one, from a source who understood how to ship these sensitive clocks, I'd buy one.

Did you say that he recommended that a fine chronomoter should be run until it doesn't run well before having it serviced? I certainly do not have his expertise but I find that hard to understand. It would be like saying do not take your car into the shop until the engine gets rough, or don't go to the dentist until a tooth starts hurting.

Old oil congeals and dust and motes of dirt get into it over time. As the movement keeps going with this increasingly abrasive gunk in it you get unnecessary wear that can lead to more substantial damage over the years than you would have if you had it professionally serviced on a regular basis. Five years sounds like a reasonable interval, though I know some people say it should be more frequent.

Mark, my suggestion is, and that is all it is, would be; Since you have timed the clock somewhat to within 2-3 seconds per day accuracy then you have a good barameter to go by....

If you run the clock daily then monitor it periodically and if the time accuracy starts deviating from the norm by percentage points or seconds, then it's time to have a master clock maker take a look at it....

I agree with Jim in that if it has been five years since the clock has been serviced then I would error on the side of safety and have it serviced. Then you would at least have a definite reference point from which to proceed with.... I have no idea how much this timepiece set you back but I'm sure that it was substantial and with that in mind you do need to protect your investment....I would think, anyway....

It is a beautiful timepiece and I really appreciate your showing it here to us....

Don't know what else to tell you because the ultimate decision is yours and no one else's....

Regards,
Jerry

If you really want to preserve these then it's best to get it serviced by a watchmaker who uses all synthetic oils. Then try to store it in as dust-free and humidity-free environment as possible (but not a plastic bag or something that doesn't breathe). Run it maybe once year to make sure nothing is breaking/going and it should be good for about 30 years between servicing.

I spoke to Mark this week about the chronometer, and I explained that all my equipment not only cleaning machines but holders, tools are not set up to take this size I go form the smallest you can imagine and I max out at about the Ham 22 (35-size), I have owned 2 of the 21s myself and serviced them for myself but would not do this for a customer without the correct equipment.
If it has been serviced with synthetic oils as Frank says it should be good for more than 5 years especially as I expect its not a daily use. I soon lost interest in my Ham 21s after winding it daily for a month fantastic timepieces to look at. Most wrist watches manufacturers say about 3-5 years until time for service I typically see high end wrist watches come in for first service at 15-20+ years of daily use un-serviced and then just needing a COA to bring them back
So given the fact that he says its running within 2 seconds a day and no other problems at all, also seeing many watches that come to me from past poor repairs and the irreversible damage the fact is that if he sends it off for a service and he does not find a specialist on these (it’s a one shot hit) he stands a good chance of getting it back damaged forever plus a huge bill not to mention the high cost of shipping these correctly, I would not suggest he runs it until it stops (which is a very dramatic statement to make), but give it a few more years and evaluate its usage before taking the risk and incurring the cost. We have to assume that by current operational performance that the last service was carried out correctly, its my experience that he may soon find that like myself the novelty of daily winding wears off and it becomes a excellent display item in which case it will come to no harm just sat for many years, maybe part wind once in a while would be good. Should he or future owner find the need be to run it for extended periods then have it fully serviced prior.Just trying to save him possible damage to both clock and pocket book

Thanks for the interest and suggestions.

Chris certainly didn't advise me to ignore service on the clock until it was showing signs of distress, and I didn't want to give that impression.

I have a house full of 8-day clocks, and I won't be keeping this one running constantly like I do my other clocks. I would have liked to get an 8-day ship's chronometer, but I didn't want to pay as much as it costs to get a good one.

I expect that I'll keep it running most of the time. I certainly intend to keep track both of it's accuracy, and it's rate of inaccuracy. If the clock's performance starts to deteriorate, I'll do some work to find a good place to make it right again.

I do agree that a little bit of benign neglect is far preferable to having a hack touch my clock. If anyone has a reference of someone who really knows how to take care of these special clocks, I'd appreciate a referral.