A fun fact about our 8 day clocks. Ours is a 61 250. It has, what is I assume, the original wind up 8 day clock. It has always been a bit fogged on the inside of the glass, but worked well. About a year ago it finally decided I am no longer going to keep time. Well there it sat in my panel, lonely and forgotten. But, like all Comanche owners I imagine, we would rather repair and fix nostalgia than replace it. While there are many options for cheap replacements I really liked this old clock and it's iridium radioactive painted illegal dials. So finally a couple few weeks back I find the time to remove it from the panel and take it to our local in town small shop watch repair. He takes a look, comments on it's WWII vintage and tells me it probably just needs a little tlc, 85 bucks and your good to go. Well yesterday I went in to pick it up and he was very enthusiastic. "Where did you say you got this" ? An old plane I replied. " From what junk yard?" I told him that it was from a plane that still flies, and well, built in 1961. He went on to explain to me that the movements in this clock are similar in all fashions to Brietling, Tag Heuer, and other high end brand, fancy Swiss watches. He told me it was an exceptionally well made time piece. That it's been running for three days and is not one second off. It comes back to me looking brand new, and will go back to it's home in the panel next week. Perhaps Piper bought these surplus from our federal government.. Perhaps these same clocks is what are gallant aviators used on those long dead reckoning runs to unknown and hostile destinations. Well, I will take a certain amount of pride now in that modest 8 day clock in my panel, with the small words" Swiss Made" painted on it's face.

Thought I would share this with you, Comanche drivers.

I share your reverence about old aircraft clocks. A close friend of mine in earlier years bought old surplus military airplane hulks and cut them up for scrap. Usually there were no engines or instruments left when he bought them, but one still had a wind up stop watch clock, and he salvaged it and kept it on his desk. It had the luminous paint on the dials that is now an environmental no no as well.

I coveted the clock and always tried to talk him into selling or trading it to me, but he had a sentimental attachment and memory about the earlier days when he acquired it, so it stayed on his desk.

Years passed, and my good friend developed brain cancer. That is a nasty way to check out of this world, but I spent lots of time with him and the last time we had dinner together he handed me the clock, but made no comment. We both knew what it meant, and he died a week later.

That clock has been in my PA30 panel ever since. It keeps perfect time. I will never sell it.

Al Powers ICS 2978

Al, thanks for the smile.

A very moving story that I shared with my fellow hikers on Sun. They were equaly touched. May your friend rest in peace

Caution: Do not use as a pocket watch!!!

Andrew,

If the clock that you have is a Wakmann, they are in fact made by Brietling.

Chris

Hi All,

My question is, where can one buy a windup clock? I have an electric but would like one that does not depend on a/c electrical system.

Thanks, Don

Don you can get one from Century however I bought one a year ago and sent them my old one (Wakmann - it still kept time but only for about 2 days after each windup) at which time they were to refund $150 to me - one year later and numerous messages to them requesting my money - no answer to my messages and no refunded money. However the new one does work good but was EXPENSIVE.
John

Mechanical 8 day clocks for aircraft are made by the Waltham Aircraft Clock Corporation and by Sinn. Waltham has a number of different models but Sinn only offers 1. The Waltham clocks are made in the US and Sinn is made in Germany.

www.walthamclocks.com
www.sinn.de (this page is in German but there is a link on the upper right of the page that will convert it to English)

Thanks for the replies.

Don

Had to take my clock back in to rotate the bezel 180. He confirmed it is a wakmann and made by Brietling

I have found a "timearc" 8 day clock from an aircraft salvage place...anyone familiar with that make? It was salvaged from an aircraft in the middle east according to the tag