For Newgate Clocks, Jones Clocks, and Space Hotel wall clocks and mantel clocks.
This guide covers wall clocks and mantel clocks only. If you have an alarm clock, the movements are more complex and the clocks themselves modestly priced, so replacing the clock for a new one is usually more practical than a repair.
Over the years we have made hundreds of different models using a variety of quartz movements. We used to stock replacements directly, but as they have become so readily available online we no longer hold the range we once did. You will find better choice, faster delivery, and lower prices on Amazon. So this guide focuses on helping you measure what you have and order the right replacement.
Before you go any further
Check your battery first. Genuinely faulty quartz movements are rare. A stopped or slow clock is far more likely to have a battery problem. The wrong type, a poor batch, an old packet, or a battery that tests as charged but cannot sustain the current a movement needs. Try a fresh battery from a newly opened packet, a well known brand alkaline AA before going any further. It solves the problem more often than you would expect.
Consider a professional repairer. Clock repairers still operate in most towns and are easy to find with a quick online search. Handing your clock over in person means someone experienced can disassemble it, identify the fault, source the right parts, and reassemble it correctly. This guide requires a reasonable degree of DIY confidence, if you have any doubt, a local repairer is the sensible first call.
Check the hands before assuming the worst. Before assuming the movement has failed, check whether the hands have simply worked loose. They are a friction fit onto the spindle and that fit can weaken over time. If the movement is ticking but the hands are not moving, push them firmly back onto the spindle, always with both hands pointing to 12 o'clock before refitting.
If you have checked the battery, ruled out a professional repair, and confirmed the hands are seated correctly, read on.
Getting to the movement
If your clock is open faced with no lens, accessing the movement is easy. If it has a lens you will need to partially dismantle it first. Most clocks are one of three types: screwed cases are self explanatory; spring clip cases hold the dial under tension and need releasing slowly and carefully; push fit cases are held by friction and need gentle even pressure, and older friction fitted examples may have stiffened over time. Whatever type you have, wear safety glasses and protective gloves before you start.
If you are unsure how to disassemble your clock, our DIY Repair Guides include step by step disassembly videos that may help.
1. Spindle length
The spindle is the post that pokes through the dial and holds the hands. If it is too short it will not reach through the dial, too long and the hands will sit too far out and may catch on the glass.
As a guide, metal dials are typically around 0.5mm thick and plastic dials around 2mm, both need a short spindle of around 10mm to 12mm. Older clocks with MDF or resin integrated dials tend to be 5mm to 7mm thick and will need a medium spindle of around 14mm to 16mm. If you can measure your existing spindle length directly, that is even better, see the diagram below for where to measure.
2. Step or sweep?
Step movements tick with each second, just like a traditional clock. Sweep movements run silently and continuously with only a faint whirr, no ticking at all. It does not matter which you had originally, this is your choice going forward.
3. Push-fit or screw fit?
Look at how your minute hand is currently attached. If both hands simply push onto the spindle, you need a push fit movement. If the minute hand is held in place with a small fixing nut, you need a screw fit movement.
4. Spindle diameter
This is the trickiest variable because the differences are small. You can measure the outer diameter of your existing spindle and match it as closely as possible, or order replacement hands alongside your new movement as a matched set, which guarantees everything fits together. If you are in any doubt, ordering hands and movement as a pair is the safer approach.
A note on hands
Finding an exact replacement hand for your original is unlikely given the range of models we have made over the years. Be prepared to accept a slightly different style or length, the clock will work perfectly, it will just have a subtly different look.
Check the reviews
Before you buy, check the reviews. A movement with a strong recent review history from buyers who mention clock repairs is worth a small premium over an unreviewed listing.