Hermle 2215

Question

I have a howard miller wall clock w/hermle 2215 movement in it. It was working fine until I set it ahead for daylight savings time. Now the hands won't move. Pendulum swings freely. I have put new duracell batteries in it but all is the same. Any insite would greatly be appreciated. Thanks

Answer

Dennis, I set theses movements frequently using the minute hand or rear setting knob. I have heard two opinions on setting the hands backwards. I have done it but would not recommend it until I hear better instruction. That usually affects the chime and strike rather than the hand movement. This is just a point of information, not in your case. I just don't know what could have happened to your movement unless something broke, which would not have been your fault, but just a defect in the gear train which is mostly plastic. Repairing these quartz movements is usually more costly than replacing them, and then the repairs are not always reliable, with again, plastic parts. You might have an experienced clockmaker look at it and give you a diagnosis. As I am writing this I remember that there was a production run of these movements that used an hour hand that was too tight and pinched the plastic hour tube enough to stop the clock. You might try removing the minute and hour hand, reinstalling the minute hand and checking to see if it moves. If this is the case, the hole in the hour hand could be opened up a little to relieve the pressure. Understand that this is a very find adjustment because if opened too much the hand can be damaged or it would fit too loosely. I hope this helps a little.