2 X Comitti Westminster wall clocks

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  • March 15, 2025 at 6:15 am #71642
    Dell
    Participant

      have two Comitti Westminster wall clocks ( well one is my one & the other is my sons ) my one is an Oxford but my sons is a cheaper one.

      IMG_3542

      anyway my sons had the chime side running slow  so I have stripped it to see what if anything was worn but can’t see any significant wear but ( not my usual sort of clock as I only restore torsion clocks ), can’t find much if any wear but quite dirty even dark deposits in the pinions , I also see bushes but not sure if added or from new to high wear places as they are a copper bronze colour ( see circled picture ), so to my question would the need of a service be enough to make the chime very sluggish or should I look at other possibilities, the strike side is fine so is the running , I hadn’t realised that an expensive clock like a Comitti of London would have a Hermle movement in them , the one I am doing has a 341-021 movement not sure what my Oxford has but when I looked at the Comitti Oxford online it said a Hermle movement and the price was £2350 do people still pay that sort of money? I paid £230 for my one.

      i have watched the Hermle course and my movement is quite different although basically the same & it looks as though the plates have factory fitted bushes in high wear places is that normal, also what oil to use on pivots as I only use watch oil on the torsion clocks plus oil or grease on mainsprings as again I only use Mobil 1 on torsion clocks plus oil mainsprings.

      Thanks DellIMG_3543IMG_3541

      March 15, 2025 at 5:38 pm #71643
      MikeJohannesen
      Participant

        Hi Dell,

        If you are seeing buildup on the pivots, that could be adding enough friction to bog down the train. I would definitely recommend a thorough cleaning and pivot polishing. After cleaning and polishing, reinstall the 3 trains (minus the #1 wheels and the fans), reassemble the plates, and check again for slop in the pivot holes. You should be able to spin the entire train with little torque and it should free spin. In other words, if it comes to a hard stop after you spin the train, there is too much friction in the train. I have found that after cleaning and polishing, pivot hole wear shows up much better. If you still don’t find any slop in the plates, lucky you! Any questionable holes should be bushed as I have found they tend to bite you later. As far as oil, I have been using the Etsyntha 859 synthetic oil. I believe it is a preferred oil for most Cuckoo movements and I think Kieninger uses this as well.

        On the Hermle 341-020’s & 340-020’s I believe they offer 2 models, one with the #2 wheels bushed and one with standard holes. I’ve always ordered the one with the bushings assuming they are beefing up that pivot hole from wear.  And that wheel usually has extreme wear over time. One more thing you should keep an eye on, inspect the pinions for unusual wear patterns. I have seen some odd wear patterns on mostly the number 2 pinions and on the idler gears between the #1 and #2 wheels. If encountered, the wheels should be replaced for new ones.

        Good Luck and enjoy!

        Mike

         

        March 16, 2025 at 2:13 am #71647
        Dell
        Participant

          Thanks for the prompt reply Mike

          As I mentioned above I restore torsion ( anniversary) clocks I always check mobiles in pairs then the full train although I hadn’t done it before posting as I was just wondering if there was anything that  commonly caused the problem, as I am in the UK I may have a job finding that oil although synthetic oil is always the way to go these days.

          I didn’t realise the were two identical movements apart from added bushings in one , I have just looked at another Hermle movement I have and it doesn’t have the bushings, it just goes to show no matter how old we get ( 71 in my case ) we are always learning.

          Many thanks Dell

          March 16, 2025 at 8:48 am #71648
          Dell
          Participant

            Removed the mainsprings the chime mainspring ( largest ) had oil lubrication the other two had grease so possibly someone had the barrel out previously.

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