Why Your Clock Stopped Running

Start with the simple things

Roughly half the clocks we are called out to see are not broken. They are out of level, out of beat, out of wind, or have been stopped by something as ordinary as a mantel decoration touching the pendulum. Before assuming the worst, check that the case is level, that the clock is fully wound, and that nothing is contacting the pendulum.

The nine usual causes

1. Out of beat after a move or bump. 2. Case not level. 3. Not fully wound, or wound and immediately over-driven. 4. Dried, thickened oil. 5. A worn pivot hole causing loss of power. 6. A broken mainspring. 7. A bent or fouled suspension spring. 8. Hands touching each other or the dial glass. 9. A chime train jammed mid-sequence, which on many movements will halt the time train too.

The beat test anyone can do

Listen to the tick. It should be perfectly even — tick, tock, tick, tock, like a metronome. If it sounds like a limp, the clock is out of beat and will stop within hours. On floor clocks the fix is often as simple as shifting the case slightly until the beat evens out.

When to stop and call

Stop immediately if the key spins freely, if you heard a bang while winding, if a weight has dropped, or if the clock makes a grinding noise. Continuing to run or wind a clock in those conditions turns a modest repair into a major one.