About Clock Wise Services

Clock Wise first opened its doors in Mason City, Iowa in the spring of 1996. It has moved to its permanent location on 1406 N. Federal in the spring of 2001. Clock Wise offers sales and servicing of all types of clocks from grandfather, wall, shelf/mantle, anniversary and quartz (battery) clocks. Clock repair estimates are free!

Clock Wise provides full sales and services on clocks and timepieces' of all sizes and makes. Grandfather clocks, shelf clocks, mantle, wall and even cuckoo clocks! Anniversary clocks are also sold and serviced, whether mechanical 400-or-1000 day and quartz (battery).

Clock Wise in-home service of clocks by appointment only on Monday's and Tuesday's. During these days the store is closed to perform the service calls. Normal business hours are:

Parking is provided in the rear of the building and customers may use the side or front doors.

Our services encompass all areas of clocks and timekeeping. Every clock is unique and is treated as such.

All clock estimates for repair and servicing are free of charge. Examination may take 5-15 minutes in-store or home. Inspection of the timepiece is necessary to insure the condition of the mechanism and what services may be required to return it to working order.

Lubrication and repairs can vary in length of time to complete. Usually 2-3 weeks is required to return a clock back to its owner. There are several steps involved to complete during this time period:

First, the movement is removed and thoroughly cleaned in a cleaning solution to remove all debris. The movement is dissembled to insure proper cleaning of all parts.

After drying, all components are inspected for wear, cleanliness and bent or missing pieces. Any repairs needed are performed at this time. If there is additional repairs required that was not discussed or exceeds the estimate, Clock Wise will contact the owner before proceeding.

The movement is reassembled after repair, lubricated and tested in a test stand. This can take 1-3 days and any additional adjustments or servicing can be done easily in the test stand. Afterwards, the movement is placed back into its case and testing continues. Final adjustments in timekeeping is completed. This final stage can require 3 days to 30 days, depending on the type of clock movement.

Service fees can vary depending on the clock and the mechanism inside. A simple wall clock with one mainspring is less expensive to service than a clock with westminster chimes. There is really no set rate, it depends on the clock and the work to be done. Our free estimates is the starting point to establish a foundation for what a particular timepiece requires.

Generally, prices range from $25.00 for a simple clean and oiling to $75.00 on a larger, complicated chiming clock. Additional repairs can add $5.00 or more per repair. That is why Clock Wise offers a free estimate, so the customer knows what to expect when the clock is serviced and why the service or repair is needed.

Anniversary clocks that are mechanical start at $75.00 because of the delicate movement and time-consuming labor involved in cleaning and time-setting. It may take several weeks to insure that an anniversary clock is operating correctly because it runs much slower than a regular pendulum movement and is susceptible to outside interference such as vibrations, surface leveling and even temperature and humidity changes.

Quartz, or battery, operated clock repairs can start at $10.00 and rise to $75.00 depending on the movement it contains.

Clock Wise only charges for the work performed and only performs work that has been discussed!

If the movement is feasibly unrepairable, a new movement may be installed to return the clock to working order. Many new movements and replacements carry a 90-day to 1-year warranty.

Most repairs performed by Clock Wise is warranted 90 days from date that it was returned to the customer.

The building that Clock Wise occupies was originally "Walthers Watch & Jewelry" repair shop that was opened in the 1930's. It has housed a beautician's shop, sports card shop and a bait shop. Now it is "CLOCK WISE"