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Articles
All about Grandfather Clock Movement
Most people will only appreciate the beauty and practicality, not to mention the great investment value, of grandfather clocks without appreciating the mechanisms that make them one of the most accurate manmade timepieces. Well, to make up for this deficiency in knowledge, a grandfather clock movement simply refers to the inner workings or internal mechanisms of the freestanding clock. Thus, it can refer to the gears, weights, cables and pendulum of the clock as well as the quartz movement present, if any.
Eight-Day Movement
There are two movements in grandfather clocks, of which the most commonly used nowadays for most modern models are the eight-day movements. As the name implies, you will only need to wind the grandfather clock once a week to ensure that it works perfectly.
This is the more convenient clock to have in a busy home whose residents are living hectic lives. After all, who wants to be reminded daily to rewind a grandfather clock movement even when said clock is on the beautiful side?
The eight-day movement consists of two weights - one drives the pendulum while the other plays the chimes. As such, you will find two keyholes on both sides of the clock dial that will wind each one. It must also be emphasized that because of this more complicated setup, an eight-day movement clock is more expensive that its 30-hour counterpart.
30-Hour Movement
The 30-hour clock movement has only one single weight that acts as the striking and timekeeping mechanism. Also, you must wind it the clock daily lest t stops functioning as well as it should.
Also, you will find that the 30-hour grandfather clock movement has false keyholes that mimic those of the more expensive eight-day movement. This allows for the good illusion that the owners of the house can keep up with the Joneses and the Smiths.
Mechanical Works
There are also two types of clock movements in grandfather clocks aside from the abovementioned kinds. These are the mechanical and the quartz movements.
Traditional grandfather clocks use the mechanical movement, which involves the application of weights and chains as well as pendulums to tell the time and to chime the hours. Needless to say, no battery whatsoever is necessary as this type of grandfather clock movement operates on its own power.
You will discover that mechanical grandfather clocks are as accurate as their quartz counterparts, not to mention as beautiful with their polished wood and brass parts. So, don't dismiss them just yet because of their practical and traditional values!
Quartz Works
And then there are the quartz movements that, although more common nowadays, are not necessarily more popular than their mechanical counterparts. As they say, the fight is just about even on all counts.
A quartz grandfather clock works this way: When an electrical charge is applied on the quartz crystal, it vibrates. Thus, the quartz crystal drives both the hands of the clock as well as the chimes and pendulum.
So, now that you know about the various types of movements possible in grandfather clocks, you can make better decisions about which model to purchase. Indeed, with the right choice in grandfather clock movement, you will have the time of your life as marked by the chimes of your long case clock!
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