viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Share #1 Posted December 7, 2019 Hello, While I was out in west Texas for Thanksgiving, I happened to find two 8 day aircraft clocks in an old antique shop. Neither run and both have condition issues but at $20 for the pair, I couldn't say no to them! Here are some photos of them. I think this one is WWII vintage. The knob is broken off which really sucks... Also, the numbers and hands glow which I assume means it's got radium paint on it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted December 7, 2019 Here is a photo of the back: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted December 7, 2019 This is the newer one. While the knob is there, it has a chunk broken off the bezel. That's too bad but like I said, at $20 I didn't feel too bad about buying them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted December 7, 2019 And the back side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted December 7, 2019 One more shot of the newer clock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking73 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted December 7, 2019 Are there still watch repair shops out there that could potentially fix these and get them running again? Would it even be worth it to do so? It would be cool to get them back into working shape and I know working examples of these sell for good money on Ebay so... I'm assuming that the radium paint on the older one might be an issue for most repair shops? Thanks for looking. -Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted December 7, 2019 Share #7 Posted December 7, 2019 Most any watch repair shops can fix these and tune them up. The only problem is that it is very time consuming and can be expensive. Last time I had three or four of those fixed they ranged anywhere from $150.00 to $250.00 each Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus5150 Posted March 16, 2020 Share #8 Posted March 16, 2020 They are great little clocks, but can be spendy to repair. It's definitely doable, but sourcing NOS parts or even making replacements may get expensive. As far as the radium, yes, they are painted with it. If you have a CDV700 Geiger counter lying about, it will detect the trace radiation. However - these old clocks are safe to own - just be careful servicing them if you chose to do so yourself. Don't get the powder on your fingers or otherwise ingest it and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted April 17, 2021 Share #9 Posted April 17, 2021 Old post I know but I currently have two of these - one is in a plane. The other came from one I parted out. One is a Wittnauer and can’t remember the other. I serviced one of them. It has two mainsprings that are each considerably larger than those of wrist watches and even pocket watches. Takes a little concentration. After I was done it ran for about 10 days and kept pretty really good time. not sure why they sell for much as they aren’t rare at all. Most small private aircraft had them and many of the instruments used were military surplus. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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