Useful Piece of Kit

[LittleSister]

I have an old one of these Schatz barometer/thermometers (though the pressure pointer on mine seems to tend more to the left ).

It matches any one of the three (don't ask!) Schatz 'ships bells' clocks I have.



Which reminds me - how badly that table needs re-varnishing!

 

[Monique]

Naudet makes some lovely stuff. Accurate too. We love ours.

 

[Kukri]

I have an old one of these Schatz barometer/thermometers (though the pressure pointer on mine seems to tend more to the left ).
View attachment 82788
It matches any one of the three (don't ask!) Schatz 'ships bells' clocks I have.

View attachment 82789

Which reminds me - how badly that table needs re-varnishing!

The clock on the left is unusual - “IV” not “IIII”!
I only have two; a wartime Chelsea off a T2 tanker, black Bakelite and enough radium paint to assassinate a city, and the Wempe (probably a rebadged Schatz?) in my post above, and neither of them can be relied on to strike the bells correctly for more than a year or two.

Do you have this trouble and do you know a good clock repairer as both of mine have retired...?

 

[LittleSister]

neither of them can be relied on to strike the bells correctly for more than a year or two.

Do you have this trouble and do you know a good clock repairer as both of mine have retired...?

I don't have that trouble. They all kept good time and struck the bells correctly - until they didn't.

The one that came with my 'new' 40 year old boat (along with its barometer friend) ran fine for a year or so after I got it, then stopped working at all (stopped ticking, even though it was wound up). I took it to a clock repair shop close to work, who told me it wasn't worth repairing. (With hindsight, perhaps the place was rather too upmarket.)

While I was wondering what to do I came across another for sale, (with the 'IV' 4) polished up and supposedly serviced. I bought that and fitted to the boat. It ran fine for perhaps 6 months, then stopped as per the other one.

I'd somehow formed quite an affection for them, and for the ship's bells chimes. They're also quite big in my small boat, and it wouldn't be the same if there were a flat, large dark circle in the bulkhead varnish where the chunky clock should be to match the barometer on the other side. Hence I splashed out on a new battery powered copy (?) by Nauticalia. (They also do a clockwork version at c£800! ) That's now on the boat, and doing the business, though the bell is a little weedy and doesn't have the same satisfying antique 'clung' sound. I also strangely miss winding it up.

So I had two grand looking but seemingly non-functioning clocks sitting in my study, not sure what to do with them. Then when I moved them for some reason, the original one ('IIII') started ticking and ran for several days! I think they probably just need servicing, but I haven't yet got round to identifying where (and not sure what I'd do with them if they were running).

I did say 'don't ask'!

 

[mjcoon]

So I had two grand looking but seemingly non-functioning clocks sitting in my study, not sure what to do with them. Then when I moved them for some reason, the original one ('IIII') started ticking and ran for several days! I think they probably just need servicing, but I haven't yet got round to identifying where (and not sure what I'd do with them if they were running).

Are you a good enough actor to convince "The Repair Shop" that these are family heirloom antiques that you have a powerful emotional attachment to, so they will refurbish for free plus the shedding of some marine crocodile tears?

Mike.

 

[LittleSister]

Re Schatz and Wempe -

I came across this under an Amazon advert for the current 'Schatz' barometer. Seems translated, so I'm still not sure what the relationship between Schatz and Wempe is (or was):

"History: SCHATZ was founded in 1881 in Triberg Schwarzwald and dealt with the production of high-quality yearly watches and later additional regulators and alarm clocks. In 1958, ship's clocks and 8-day glass beaters were produced as well as barometers of integrated thermometers. Sadly, after more than 100 years of insistence, SCHATZ has filed bankruptcy and has been awarded by the Fa. WEMPE. After various takeovers, SCHATZ instruments have been manufactured and continuously improved by Delite Denmark since 2012."

 

[Kukri]

I had an experimental poke at the innards of my Wempe and I’d agree with your repairer - it’s a pretty cheaply made clock. Many metal stampings, etc. My WW2 Chelsea, made in the expectation of being sent to the bottom by a U-boat, is much nicer

 

[LittleSister]

I found a website by an American clockmaker/repairer with information about Schatz repairs. As I recall it, he was saying they were better made than the average mass-produced clockwork clocks, but there was one particular part (a bearing?) that, because of the design, tended to go with age. At that time Schatz had gone out of business so spares weren't available (maybe that's changed now they're being made again?), and though repairable, if there was anything seriously wrong the clocks weren't valuable enough to warrant rebuilding them by making numerous new parts by hand.

 

[Yngmar]

Excellent. Could you figure out what one of these models would cost? One seemed to be over 1000 euro two (looking a bit like valve radios) only 168 and the dodgy looking bracket 70. My German is not well developed.

The meteograph I linked to costs €1085 inc. VAT excl. shipping. The other "valve radio" accessories are just wooden front panels for it and a wall mount bracket. You're shopping for very fancy yottie kit here