essex clock repair service
 
0845 467 9006

 

servicing charges

Most traditional repairers will insist on seeing your clock (and you) before giving a price to overhaul it, which is fair enough. Some go as far as to publish their pricelists on the internet - much fairer (as there's less risk of the price being hiked up just because you look like you can afford it).

However, pricelists tend to have a confusingly long list of clock types and descriptions that the general public may not always fully understand. So, after you've taken your clock into the shop calculating that it falls into one price category, you are told that because it has this feature or that, it actually falls into a more expensive category. Embarrassed, you grit your teeth, and freely commit by saying that's fine (when of course it's not really).

Then the repairer asks if you'd like him re-wax the case, to re-silver the dial or re-blue the hands to restore the general appearance of the clock; or to fit new mainsprings as this would be much cheaper while it's stripped than having to strip it again in a year or two if a spring should break. Surrounded by an impressive stock of expensive-looking antique clocks priced at £2,000 upwards (or not priced at all), you naturally nod in agreement as you don't want to look like a cheapskate. Eventually you leave feeling a little uncomfortable.

A month or so later, the repairer calls you to say that his clockmaker has encountered an unexpected problem with a lantern pinion, or the pallets, the crutch or the flirt spring (or some other part you've never heard of), and that it should really be rectified while the clock is in pieces. Also, it now appears that several pivot holes could really do with re-bushing to avoid a foreseeable explosion later. So, guided by the shopkeeper, you of course agree to these extras as they already have your clock and it's in pieces so you couln't face going back and reclaiming it without the work being completed, could you?

Finally, after another month or two they call to say it's finally ready and that they could deliver it and set it up for you (for a small additional charge, of course) but you see an opportunity of halting the spiralling costs at last and pluck up the courage to tell them you'll pick it up as you were passing anyway. Then when the shopkeeper presents his invoice, there at the end is the government's 20% tip (VAT) added to the extended bill, which by now is more than twice what you were originally expecting when you first walked into the shop three months earlier. But the clock does look lovely and you can't bear to challenge it so you pay up. Anyway, it turns out that it is all worth it because, according to the repairer, your clock is even more valuable than you had thought. Yeah, right! Hook, line and sinker?

The truth is that different clocks do pose different problems, and not just in proportion to their complexity. This is why many trade horologists will still ask to see your clock before quoting a price, and why for some clocks (like 400-day anniversary clocks) they may not quote at all. I offer a professional and reliable clock restoration service, charging just enough to cover the cost of my hobby so overall I make no profit at all. Hence my rates are probably less than half what you'll be quoted elsewhere. And for sheer simplicity to help the local clock owner, my fixed-price menu is also much shorter than you'll find anywhere. This way, you know in advance exactly what you're committing to, and there's no embarrassment.

     
 
timepiece
striking
LONGCASE/GRANDFATHER (pre-1900) (weight-driven)
£175
£250
 
EVERYTHING ELSE !
£95
£125
 

(Please note, however, that a fusée is £25 extra (per train) and that these prices are for work on the movement only, not on the dial or the case which I will only do if you ask. Also, I cannot quote for three-train chiming clockson this fixed price menu, or the more esoteric musical clocks and those with added features like alarms and repeats because of their variable complexity, so ask me for a price. Generally, however, expect it to cost another £25/£50. Finally, there are some clocks that I am simply not experienced enough to repair, such as electric clocks and Atmos clocks, but you'll find specialists for these on my Links page).

I WILL completely strip your clock as it's the only way to check the parts properly. I WILL wash the parts in an ultrasonic tank of Horolene and I WILL rebush holes that need it and burnish the pivots where necessary. And I WON'T charge extra for new lines or a new suspension and I WON'T add VAT to the total. That said, I cannot cover every eventuality so if a part is missing or broken and I need to buy or make a replacement, I will have to add the cost but I will let you know before proceeding and if you do not wish to incur the cost I will return your clock and make no charge at all.

Even these low prices can put some owners off restoring a chiming mantle clock from the 1920s that they've just inherited so if it's a German one (like many 'Napoleon Hat' clocks and so-called grand-daughter clocks) where I can remove the barrels containing the mainsprings without dismantling the movement completely, then I can offer a fully-assembled cleaning service for £60. It's not as good as the full overhaul of course, so the guarantee is for three months not twelve, but it will be sufficient to get your clock going again and in all probability it will keep going for a good many years because these are robust movements built to German engineering standards of efficiency.

I urge you now to search the websites of different repairers for comparative prices as they vary a great deal across the country. I regularly do this myself; there are incredible differences for what appears to be the same work. For example, a dealer in Dorking charges £245 to overhaul a German striking Vienna Regulator and £495 for an 8-day longcase clock. Another dealer in Rochdale charges £125 and £295 respectively, seemingly for the same jobs. That's the lowest I can find. The cheaper one might be every bit as good as the dearer one but always be careful before trotting your prized heirloom off to the very cheapest. Ring him first and ask about the way the service will be carried out. Will it be done in his own workshop on site, or will he send it off to a private repairer (and then add a markup of his own)? Will the clock be completely stripped so that each part can be cleaned in an ultrasonic tank of mild ammonia-based Horolene and dried off individually in sawdust? Or will the movement be left assembled and just dunked straight into a tank of paraffin or petrol for an hour, and allowed to dry? Will he remove, inspect and re-grease the mainsprings? And what 'extras' might you be letting yourself in for once he has your clock, such as bushing worn pivot holes, filing and burnishing pivots, redressing pallets, replacing the spring suspension and gut lines etc.? And is there VAT on top of all this? By the way, my charges for these two clocks are £100 and £200 respectively but then I don't earn a living from it. But all paid for work is guaranteed, usually for a year unless otherwise stated.

I am not trying to compete with traders who rely on clock repairs and clock servicing to make a living; on the contrary, I have huge respect for them, carrying on the traditional crafts of centuries in modern times where labour is far more expensive and knowledge of horology is increasingly rare. I am simply trying to help clock owners who cannot find a High Street repairer to fix, restore or service a clock of modest value for a price that the owner is willing to pay, because of the overheads they have to carry.

I prefer owners to deliver and collect personally but if you cannot manage this and you're very local, I will collect and deliver for little more than the cost of the fuel. If you are happy to rely on Royal Mail, shipping is charged at cost (about £10 for the movement only). However, if you would like me to visit you to remove the movement from the case, and then to refit it and set it up in your own home after overhaul, I will charge an additional £35 plus fuel (Essex only). Remember, I'm not here to make a living from this, just to cover the annual running costs of my hobby so please don't expect me to haggle.