Restoration of a 1953 Schatz 400 day clock

This video discusses how 400 day clocks work, the process of identifying the clock you have, replacing the suspension spring, putting the pendulum in beat, and polishing the brass parts of the clock. The clock shown is branded as Schatz and is a Jahresuhrenfabirk model 49.

[@alang1909]

Thank you for a fun, interesting video. I just bought the exact same model clock and wanted to learn about it before I messed with it. You taught me a lot and I have found out I have a very interesting clock!

[@jerrybertram9618]

Thanks for the video Paul, very helpful. I’m a retired electrician and enjoy repairing/saving anything mechanical or electrical. My wife an sister in-law inherited 2 400 day clocks, a Schatz # 49 and a Forstville clock. I was able to repair both with KZbin help replacing suspension springs and lower blocks. Very fussy set but both are working again. Thank you.

[@closencounter1000]

Video is a great Help Thanks.

[@billman6364]

Thank you! your video saved me a lot of grief. I wont be ordering new springs for 2 clocks, its way more difficult than i thought.

[@TheReal1953]

Thanks for your great vid! My Schatz has been dormant since the 90's. It was my grandmother's clock that she probably bought in the '50s, although it doesn't have a date stamp. I would watch it endlessly in her apt as a boy. I definitely need the 400-day Clock book. It's always been an expensive book, but the charts alone for the spring length guide etc are worth it. Unfortunately, back in the '90s I fooled around with that adjustment in the plate for the anchor. Didn't bend the wheel shaft or anything but....if you think these clocks can be tricky to make run, don't ruin your chances by trying to adjust the anchor! Hopefully, that's detailed in the book. Seems like you should adjust it so your escapement wheel seems free to move on the tic & the toc best.

[@jeffbisscrx]

Great explanation. I have a friend's Schatz clock, similar design, and your explanation has helped me understand what I have to check. I leveled it and it runs for while, but then stops, I had no idea as to how efficient it is. Onward.

[@TUCBER]

hello. I have the same. I work on it one month. But now is OK. It works. I al very happy. Bernard in FRance (Grenbole)

[@michaeltevin5505]

400 day clock, interesting mechanism for that long duration

[@jill552]

Great video. Thank you.

[@annebeckert3615]

This is the most exciting video I've ever seen!

[@pauldyck4596]

Thanks, little sister. Glad you liked it.

[@vicktor440]

Great video ...

[@TUCBER]

hi ! thanks from Grenoble in France. I have the same I get few days ago from Prague (Praha) I try ti change the string of torsion.Not easy to find Long 12 mm (4,725") Ep 0,12 (0,0045") Long 0,52 mm. inch??) I use old string and it works, but new one is better. Salute. Bernard.

[@billd.8336]

Thank you for the video. Minor details to add are that my Schatz 49 is plate no. 1283, just to the right of yours and does have the date code while the illustration does not. Mine does not have the RR above the "No jewels" rectangle. The extra hole at the 1:30PM location at the round Schatz 49 logo is not used on mine. I am keeping the clock running without the book and can find plenty of advice at the NAWCC site. People there love to help.

[@robertb7254]

Paul ….I have the same clock and the bottom suspension spring block came off…loosening the two black set screws didn’t seem to open the gap enough the slip the spring back in but maybe a new one slips in somehow easier being new and stiffer …I also need set screws for the spring guard ….any advice….superb video

[@WileyRoss]

Thanks Paul for a very clear and informative video! I have this clock and it runs very slow. I’ve turned the dial that supposedly adjusts the speed but it’s not working properly or maybe I’m not understanding it correctly. Should I be moving the dial towards the F or S? F could mean that’s the direction you turn if it’s running fast OR the direction to make it run faster. Sorry for the dumb question.

[@pauldyck4596]

If it is running slow, turn the dial in the direction of the F to speed it up.

[@peternearhos]

Brilliant video thanks. You make the workings of the Schatz 400 day clock very easy to understand. I have on my mantelpiece my dad's old clock which by chance is exactly the same model 49 as the one in the video, date stamped 3 53. The wire is broken and there is one only spare suspension wire still in its original 1953 packaging but the winding key is missing. Just replacing the wire looks daunting and I'm still weighing up whether I'll attempt it at all... I've had a look for the book and more springs but haven't been able to find any in Australia as yet. Thanks again for the wonderful explanation.

[@pauldyck4596]

Thanks for your kind words. The winding key is inexpensive to replace - mine takes a #8 key. Just replacing the suspension spring might get it working but a thorough service requires taking the movement to pieces and taking the mainspring out of its barrel for cleaning and lubrication. Having done that, mine is keeping very good time - accurate to within one minute every two weeks or so. There have been advances in manufacturing the suspension springs since 1953 to make them less sensitive to temperature changes. In the US you can buy a pack of three springs for about $USD6 from the clock supply houses.

[@zeljkobojic8113]

Dear Paul, I found on the internet everything I need to know about my watch. I hope to be able to train him. Greetings, Željko

[@kurtnowak8895]

Great video. I have my grandfathers Schatz and tried to get it going. I discovered through trial and error, about adjusting the top saddle to keep the pendulum going. I got it going for a few weeks but then lost it and have to try again. What about the adjustment of the ball distance/ diameter? Assuming this is the gain/loss adjustment, How does adjusting this relate to or affect the beat setting?

[@pauldyck4596]

If it is in beat but still won't run that might indicate that the movement needs to be taken apart and cleaned, which is a big job (that's what I did with the clock in the video). There is an adjustment to speed up or slow the clock on the pendulum, turn towards F to speed it up, towards S to slow it down. This adjustment has nothing to do with setting the beat.

[@dperry428]

Adjusting the distance of the balls with the F/S dial changes the angular momentum of the pendulum, just like a figure skater doing a spin. With her arms held out from her body, she spins slowly and to speed the spin, she pulls her arms in close to her body. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ7IfmN4g9N6iJI So, moving the balls of the pendulum outward, makes the rotation slower, moving them inward makes the rotation faster.

[@zeljkobojic8113]

That would be best, but I'm not sure if there is information for that manufacturer in that book. And at the same time, I won't need that book anymore. Can that book be rented somewhere? Thanks in advance and best regards.

[@hernestoluizneto4884]

Como faço pra conseguir o fio que sustenta o pêndulo

[@zeljkobojic8113]

Dear Paul. Thank you for a wonderful presentation. I would also ask for help. I bought a very similar watch as in the video. Unfortunately it doesn't work because it needs to put a new spring if I don't know what the thickness is. As far as I can see the length should be about 130 mm. It is a "LINCO" watch. On the back of the board is only the inscription J.LINK & CO. SCHWENNINGEN NO (0) JEVELS ADJUSTED, MADE IN GERMANY. The size of the rear plate is 85 x 44 mm. That's all I know about that watch. I would beg as far as you are able to suggest me what thickness of spring I need to buy. Thanks in advance and best regards. Zeljko Bojic, Cakovec. Croatia.

[@pauldyck4596]

My best advice would be to buy the book 400 Day Clock Repair Guide as discussed in the video and look up the back plate there. You need to know not only the thickness of the spring but also the spacing of the bottom block, top block and fork on the spring which is in the book.

[@bethspellicy8331]

I have a Gustav Becker Anniversary Clock that I attempted to clean 48 years ago and it hasn't worked since. I'm looking for someone to adopt it, fix it and love it. I'm in Boulder, CO. Any suggestions?

[@pauldyck4596]

I got the clock in this video from someone giving it away for free on Facebook Marketplace. I have several others that I have bought for $2 to $4.

[@adattamentorestaurobeograd5704]

What is wire thicknes? 0.6 07 0.8?

[@margaretgoodwin4837]

I have a similar clock from my mom that her brother brought back from Europe for her sometime between 1948 and 1954. I moved from NY to western Michigan and would like to bring this clock back to life. Where are you located? I believe it was made in Germany.

[@pauldyck4596]

Pennsylvania

[@user-js1zs9qx2o]

Привет, Паул! Очень красивые часы, интересное видео. Хотел спросить, у тебя есть книга Horolovar 400 day clock? Меня интересуют электронная версия этой книги. Спасибо

[@pauldyck4596]

Спасибо. Да, у меня есть книга; вам нужна эта книга, чтобы починить этот тип часов. К сожалению, я не думаю, что доступна электронная версия книги, только версия книги в твердом переплете, показанная на видео.

[@user-js1zs9qx2o]

@@pauldyck4596 Подскажите нужно ли смазывать вилку торсиона и анкерный стержень? Спасибо.

[@pauldyck4596]

@@user-js1zs9qx2o Да, зубья спускового колеса следует смазать маслом или нанести немного масла на поддоны якоря.

[@mrimmortal1579]

This is a good video, and you’ve provided me with information that I hope will help me to repair one of these clocks that I’ve had for many years (and that my dad had tried to repair many years before that). However, your description of how power is transmitted through the clock (starting at 10:56 ), is slightly off. All of the power in the clock comes from the mainspring within the barrel. That power transmits through the train of wheels to the escapement, where it is stopped periodically by the escapement (which you refer to as the saddle). But this is where your explanation starts to go somewhat awry. It’s not the motion of the fork that makes the pendulum swing, but it’s the swinging of the pendulum that creates the motion of the fork, which in turn determines the timing of the train of wheels. However, as the escapement clears the tooth of the escape wheel, the escape wheel jumps forward to the next tooth, which provides (along with the audible ‘tick’ sound) just enough of a kick to the torsion spring to add back the slight amount of energy that the pendulum lost during its rotation, ensuring that it will keep rotating as long as there is kinetic energy stored in the mainspring. I know this seems like a small difference, but it’s an important concept for future viewers to understand if they want to dive into repairing clocks of their own. Hope you have a great day!

[@helmutpfeil8672]

Hey Paul, I am looking for spare parts of kind of clock, especially the spring. Can you give me an address? By the way it is an very good video!

[@pauldyck4596]

Try Timesavers or Merritts.

[@helmutpfeil8672]

Thank you.

[@user-cr3io8ru2l]

What's wrong with the sound on this????

[@pauldyck4596]

This video has over 13,000 views and you are the first person to indicate that there is something wrong with the sound. This leads me to believe that there is nothing wrong with the sound, and that the problem is instead on your end.

[@najibbrot3600]

hi there, my slock needs a pring can I use a fishing rod instead of the spring Torsion pendulum spring??

[@najibbrot3600]

if you have alot of these springs can you send me few plz thank u

[@pauldyck4596]

The clearest explanation I have seen of how to put this type of clock in beat is on the NAWCC Beat Setting 101 page (see link) - scroll down to the section that says "Adjusting Beat in a 400-Day Clock". mb.nawcc.org/wiki/Encyclopedia-Subjects/Clock-Repair/Beat-Setting-101

[@TheReal1953]

Pual's explanation for beat adjustment is spot on and "clear". Nothing really more in NAWCC's explanation but fluff.

[@michaeltevin5505]

400 day clock, interesting mechanism for that long duration