Understanding Clock Movement Types
Weight-driven, spring-driven, quartz and atomic movements compared.
Weight-driven
Power comes from falling weights. Found in grandfather, cuckoo and Vienna regulator clocks. Very accurate, very sensitive to being level.
Spring-driven
A coiled mainspring supplies power. Common in mantel, carriage and shelf clocks. Requires periodic spring inspection.
Torsion (400-day)
Anniversary clocks use a slowly rotating disc pendulum on a fragile suspension wire. Delicate to transport, satisfying to own.
Quartz
Battery-powered, accurate to seconds per month, essentially maintenance-free. Legitimate for reproduction cases; rarely appropriate for antiques.
Atomic and radio-controlled
Quartz movements that sync to a radio time signal. Convenient, but the signal is unreliable inside metal-framed buildings.
Which needs the most care?
Weight and spring driven mechanical movements. Both benefit from cleaning every three to five years.
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Jordantero Co., Lakewood COMore guides
- Why Your Clock Stopped Running
- How to Wind a Clock Correctly
- A Realistic Clock Maintenance Schedule
- Setting a Clock In Beat
- Moving a Grandfather Clock Safely
- Chime and Strike Troubleshooting
- What Makes an Antique Clock Valuable
- Clocks and Colorado's Dry Climate
- How to Choose a Clock Repair Shop