My Lidl Auriol radio controlled wall clock thinks it's in Germany! (DCF77 vs MSF60)

From Sunday 7 October 2018, Lidl UK are selling a radio-controlled wall clock for £7.99 (alkaline battery included).
Unfortunately the one I bought receives a time signal from Germany rather than from the UK. So my clock shows Central European Time and is an hour fast! If I set the time manually to UK time then it reverts to Central European Time automatically soon afterwards.
Here is a demonstration (sort of) on how to fix this! The method appears in writing on several internet sites, but the one I read was not immediately obvious to me... so I thought I'd do a demonstration video instead!
:-)

[@blagojg1]

It is very easy and simple to adjust, put battery it hour hand will stop on 12 for CET, 11 for UK, 1 for Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. Now take off battery, disasemble from glass, carefully remove hands (secconds, minute an d hour), and put hour hand again (do not move in circle) in desired position for Your time zone ! Whoala , simple as bean !

[@riling]

thank you. now it works!

[@cristianplaesu3624]

A little technical skills needed but it worked. I used the little metal wire who fix the cover to extract the clock hands. Thank you!

[@mariasuarez3775]

It is hell trying to get this ‘good looking clock’ to work! But fear not , that this explanation given hereby has solved my problem ! After a year of having the clock hidden in a bag in a cupboard ! Thanks a million for having helped me this eve

[@sonicthebest5536]

There is actual a easier solution. If you look at the back of the clock there is in the middle of the clock a tiny little hole, for that.First reset the clock. The arms go now to their start position. After that you take out the battery, and then press a little pin (about 2 cm long) in that little hole on the back. When the pin is in you can put the arms in a new starting position. In you case, move the arms to 11 o clock. Take the pin out and put the battery in. It did work for me, but i had to put the arms at 1 o clock for that. (I live in the Netherlands) . Also, if you have the box from the clock, on the back is a little sticker that tells if the clock is dcf or msf.

[@kebakue]

Don't see the little hole. thanks

[@l4d1k06]

Never saw such a hole either.

[@yawboakye-agyeman6084]

I bought similar one from Lidl in London, I had same problem. Thank you soo much the problem is solved now by watching your video...I did exactly you said and now my clock is working perfectly in the UK.👍👍👍

[@Presumin0Ed]

Mine was getting no signal at all. Left it for two hours but nothing. So I was searching for videos to explain this. While I was watching yours, I glanced at the clock and it had suddenly started working with the radio signal! So you could say your video solved my problem 😉

[@uyt321]

لماذا عقرب الساعة يمشي بشكل سريع ارجو حل هذة المشكلة

[@l4d1k06]

DCF77 is sent from a transmitter close to Frankfurt/Main and as it's a long wave signal during a clear night sky with some luck it should be possible to receive it even on Faroe Islands. Anyway a bit illogical to sell it outside of Continental Europe.

[@philkfoto]

Well I must be extremely lucky as I bought 3 radio clocks from Lidl. 20 years ago a Silvercrest projection clock and it has worked well all over UK and in Romania. A Silvercrest alarm clock used only in UK and today in UK a Mebus wall clock and it did not need adjusting.

[@dejankostic5430]

Veliko hvala, i ja sam rešio problem po vašem upustvu, pozdrav from Serbia.

[@MrDallan13]

Most helpful as I purchased this a week ago & it’s been driving me mad ever since the clocks went back here in the UK. Many Thanks

[@paulg2726]

Thanks for the posting, have been rattling my brain on how to over come this problem, all fixed thank you.

[@riling]

Bought this at Finland. Did your stuff. Did do also manual setting, No matter what it goes to German time after a while. Now I'm waiting German military forces get their shit together and make this official time here. I have no hopes finnish government can fix this on their own by any means.

[@rangersbluenose]

Thank You! Purchased a Bresser clock - same issue. My one was a waterproof bathroom version, so disassembly a little different, but otherwise the solution appears to have worked!

[@ae70gts]

my friend what you did , moving the hour hand , is the proper fix. but .. understand this . all 6 towers in the world transmit the exact same time . then the time zone is regulated by the watch/clock itself ....thats good only for atomic watches that have this feature built in .( casios citizens ,seikos etc, etc) since there is no time zone adjustment in these auriol clocks the hour hand must be set manually to GMT + or - depending on the country you live . so yes these clocks was germany time zoned . so when i bought this clock brand new it was set to 1 o'clock i live in greece so we have a + 1 hour from germany . thats why it was set to +1 yes they set the +/- it based on germany ( funny) and not based on UTC . so when you bought yours it should have been set to 11.00 o'clock , thats the -1 hour difference. instead im sure it was set to 12.00 o'clock simple as that

[@michaelloughlin734]

Lovely looking clock ed seen them at the time apparently lidl was getting loads sent back by customers for the same problem.

[@hrastogi7336]

Thank god I am not the only one. I bought this clock in 2020 and my clock set itself to UK time upon reset or the insertion of battery. However the problem starts whenever the time changes, the clock goes crazy a month before the due date and on every Thursday, Saturday and Monday it goes 2 hours backwards! I guess you get what you pay for.

[@julianp2868]

Mine does it when it likes

[@l4d1k06]

Weird that they sell those clocks in a country as big as the UK in huge amounts without regards to the local time. I did the same with a non radio controlled clock i got discounted from Ikea because the hour hand was off 20-30 minutes so when the minute hand was at 12, the hour hand was between two hours, so i pulled all 3 hands off and set them all to 12. Otherwise I am way too lazy to adjust all my clocks 2 times a year. They are all set to CET, so I get a 50% hit ratio over a year. The kitchen has an oven with the microwave above, both with separate clocks - one CET, the other one CEST. No need for gambling with time anymore.

[@julianp2868]

I got one from Lidl and it does what it likes it can be anything 2 hours or more either way, I have just tried recently to reset it and its stuck on 11. Mines not the same as yours but its not worth the agro of relying on it. The other day i looked at the clock and thought OK its 4 I have time for a nap. Awoke at 6 20 and thought eh, it was 8 20 it alters all the time so its of no use the 3 pin buttons are / reset (L) rec (M) M set (R). I have taken the battery out and put back in and its doing its own thing again, see what happens, I have a digital projection gadget up stairs and thats pretty good except on clock change, it can be days out of sync. As this thing is wireless I thought I could go via computer, nothing is found but thats windows 11 for you. might try sonics suggestion bettery out in does not solve it so I shall have to find the pin lol lol.

[@paogonowski]

I have the same problem. Did you get your solved?

[@julianp2868]

@@paogonowski Yes if you set it manually it works. A day or two still with the clocks going forward but that seems part of the problem with these atomic clocks, I have one upstairs and its exactly the same. So set it as per (Sonic The Best post) below and it will be fine😀

[@alibear57]

Doing this is NOT the solution, unless you are planning to leave the clock in the same location all the time. I bought three of these clocks and have discovered that, although the concept is good, they are totally unreliable. Mine, randomly lock onto the DCF77 signal, and sometimes the MSF60. This is often directly related to their location in my building, but not always. Like any radio signal, there are things which interrupt the signal to the receiver. I installed one in my campervan (BAD move), because now, I can never trust that I am looking at the German time or the UK time, if I have no other point of reference. If you, painstakingly, wind the hands back or forward, this will work - UNTIL it decides to pick up the signal from the opposite station (whatever signal strength it might have access to in any given moment). There needs to be an option to use ONLY one or the other of the two stations.

[@mart2611]

Sounds like the stock Del Boy flogs down the market with Rodders

[@PipDitton]

Yes, I had the same problem. Was about to take it back but will linger and see if it is fixable?

[@mullahkhan5600]

Very helpful! Thank you from Denmark

[@paulalankshear5424]

Same thing with the one I brought, haven't decided wether to try this or return it yet. Bit stupid for them to sell them in the uk when it doesn't get the uk signal.

[@MrEdTraveller]

Well yes. I believe that the German time signal is more powerful that the UK one, not least because the countries bordering Germany are on the same time so they can make good use of it. Apart from the Republic of Ireland and Portugal(?) the UK time signal is only really of any use in the UK. So Lidl probably manufacture far more of the 'German' clocks than the UK model. Perhaps it's not surprising that a wrong batch found its way over here, presumably by accident. It's a really nice clock, so if you like it then (personally) I would try the fix rather than taking it back. My one is still working fine, five days later. Good luck!

[@stfuplsok]

Paula Lankshear *bought *whether

[@AsiaPortalerne]

I have UK time too :-( It should be danish time.

[@kimmarsh5854]

I bought one too. Same problem. Will give the fix a try. Thanks for posting this.

[@MrEdTraveller]

No problem Kim, glad to have been of help. I went to a different branch of Lidl on Wednesday evening and there were none of the clocks in sight. I've got a sneaky feeling that they might have been pulled because they were all on 'German' time, although a Lidl employee told me that they had sold all the ones they had! The fix is easy and seems to work OK; my clock is still showing the right time. If it doesn't work for you, or you want a refund, then I would think that Lidl will oblige if the clocks really have been withdrawn.

[@kimmarsh5854]

@@MrEdTraveller It worked! So pleased as I really like it. 😊

[@tedwoghiren4002]

I bought one with the same problem. I did not try fixing it as the clock runs faster than normal too. Will be taking it back. Clocks changed in the UK last night but this remains wrong.

[@mykhaylo.hruzdyev]

May be Lidl has saled all clocks, because its price around 7€. In another shop similar clocks was on price of 29€...

[@rubenvarda6999]

I bought one in Brussels, shows the UK time.

[@stfuplsok]

Brexit 😊

[@milos035]

Try to rotate printed background one hour backward..:)

[@KGB95140]

Fixed by the humidity and temperature 😑

[@ulker_sevket]

I have the same problem. My brother bough in Austria same wall watch, Time is showing us Germany time although we are in Turkey. do you have any solution ?

[@The80sBoy]

I have the same clock, no issues with the time however my issue is regarding the humidity and temperature dials. How accurate are they because mine barely move, when I can feel a difference, both humidity and temperature wise, when in the room. Any thoughts?

[@MrEdTraveller]

I’m afraid not, I’ve never really paid attention to them. They are quite small and the clock is on the wall close to the ceiling, so they are very difficult to see from the ground anyway. Plus they are obscured by the hands at times anyway.

[@mariocomeq1961]

@@MrEdTraveller ■ I bought one two weeks ago. Unfortunately 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 seem not work, it always show 9° temperature and 80 humidity. I planning to give it back one these days. ■ I have another (the same) one that a bought 3 years ago, the same problem:humidity and temperature don't work or went broken.

[@rscservice6573]

Thanks for posting this. I too had the same problem, and it is a simple fix. Fortunately it is easy to dismantle and to move the hour hand back. It is now showing the correct time and saved me taking it back for a refund as it is a good clock. It beggars belief that they can sell these in the UK with such a fundamental issue. Maybe as you said they are the wrong batch. It is quite bizarre to think it's getting a time signal from Germany!

[@DaftFader]

I have a digital desk clock from the same manufacturer, and it bamboozled me why it was stuck an hour ahead till i read the manual and realised lol. There is a way for my clock to be set to uk time, but it really over complicated.

[@balazsbenko9436]

Daily when is it automatically updates itself ? (perhaps during the night)

[@celticboy1950]

if only it would work for the digital clock. Any one know how to alter those ?

[@reodos3]

Не вижу ссылку на сайт с инструкцией.

[@CANARIAS777]

i have the same prpblem u cant fix

[@sham27007]

Is this clock silent? or does it go tick tok

[@MrEdTraveller]

It goes tick tok, but very quietly. I only notice it if there is complete silence in the room.

[@sham27007]

@@MrEdTraveller I saw another vid on youtube and on the back clock its states DCF. Lidl are selling this for the same price. on the 15 oct 2023. I ahve a wall clock like this and the second hand makes tick tok sound but my dad drop it a the second hand stopped moving, the clocks fine and gets the MSF singnal.

[@MrDanbecker]

It's because of Brexit .. By by England. Hahaha .. Sorry. Just a joke. I love England .. :-)

[@bddybdz]

😁

[@saoudisamira9928]

Ça me paraît compliqué au debut.... Mais j'ai trouvé la solution

[@MrEdTraveller]

Bien joue et felicitations! 😀

[@michaelyank5888]

set it off at 12 oclock

[@scalmer]

I,m in the Netherlands...and it is taking the British haha...

[@ChristianZaan]

Hier ook

[@copyandpastification]

Same here in Ireland...

[@stephencollier9088]

Tidy

[@kyonw2656]

Wow the ignorance! Hold down the set button and it sets the time manually and then press rec to activate

[@kebakue]

Can you please elaborate / detail your instructions. Press the REC for x seconds? Thanks. The insctructions say that the catch is regulating for one hour before the desired hour. Which I tried and did not work. I am in Portugal GMT.

[@kyonw2656]

@@kebakue yes! On the back of the clock there is a set button! If you hold it down for so many seconds and keep it held down the hands on the clock begin to spin around so you can manually set the time! Once you have the correct manual time set press the rec button once and it activates the clock to be set from there, at least that’s what I did! I hope this helps you

[@kebakue]

@@kyonw2656 Hum.. So you call on ignorance, and you are not sure yet if it works :) I tried it now. Let's see.. I find funny that this is not in the user manual.

[@kyonw2656]

@@kebakue ignorance comment was not directed at you! And I tried a few things and ended up with the result and it definitely works I promise as I had to change daylight savings manually too and done exactly what I’ve told you! Sorry for the confusion it’s just so many comments all about opening and destroying it 🤦‍♂️ and that’s the truth why is it not in the manual! But god bless my asd leading me to a resolve for everyone

[@alibear57]

@@kyonw2656 you DIDN’T resolve it, only temporarily. Whenever your clock gets a stronger signal from one or other of the stations it WILL defy you and change to the time of that signal. Don’t accuse others of ignorance until you’re 100% sure you’re right. If you never move your clock or nothing hinders the radio signal from the UK station, you will be fine, but the minute you move the clock to a new location which blocks the UK signal and has clearer route to the foreign one, it’ll change to that time - making them TOTALLY unreliable.

[@brickie59]

Shit clock from lidle.