These clocks are very delicate. Never force anything.
If a clock has a silvered dial, (or other part), never touch the silvered portion. This is a very thin coating and the perspiration on your hands will discolor it.
It is a general rule to NEVER move the hands backwards when setting the time on a Vienna regulator. There are exceptions to this rule, but usually setting the hands backwards will damage the clock.
When setting the time, stop at every chime spot (hours, ½ hours, sometimes ¼ hours) and allow the clock to fully chime. If you don’t, you will probably damage the mechanism.
Sometimes the hands of the clock get out of adjustment, and the minute hand actually hits the hour hand as it sweeps by. This will stop the clock. By very carefully repositioning the minute or hour hand this can be corrected. Bend the hands only if absolutely necessary, as this is how hands get broken off.
Installation and Start-up
Choose the proper size wood screw to fit the hanger at the top back of the clock (be certain that this hanger is firmly attached to the case) and long enough to go securely through the wall into a stud. Secure the screw into the wall, angled upward at a 45 degree angle, and hang the clock. Adjust the wall stabilizers so the clock hangs vertically front to back. The walls in many houses are not straight up and down any more, so a good eye or a level helps here.
Hang the pendulum if attached directly to the backboard and by moving the bottom of the case, center the pendulum bottom sideways in the case. Many of these clocks have a beat scale that makes this very easy. If the pendulum hangs from the movement, then the movement must also be installed at this time. Be sure the pendulum does not rub the back of the case. These clocks are precision pieces, so there may not be much clearance here, but if the pendulum rubs the clock will not run for very long.
Install the movement. If it is a slide type mount, be sure that it is square in the case, and that the chimes or other parts do not rub the pendulum, making sure it is inserted in far enough to clear the glass. Be sure to insert the movement “crutch” into the slot in the pendulum bob as applicable while installing the movement and not after the movement has been installed.
If the clock is weight driven, be sure the pulleys are properly inserted and the weight cords are hooked properly into the hooks for the cord end in the movement. Hang the weights on the weight pulleys. Be careful that the cord is not tangled in some other part of the clock and hangs straight down from the winding barrels.
Now gently start the pendulum to swing back and forth. Listen for the “tick-tock” of the clock. If no “tick-tock” is heard, move the bottom of the case slightly until you do hear it, or make an adjustment on the crutch that engages the pendulum. This adjustment may be a screw, or it may be a simple “yoke” type of adjustment.
Make adjustments at the crutch as needed until the clock has a very even “tick…tock…tick…tock…tick…tock” type of sound. The clock will not keep running if the sound is “tick..tock……tick..tock…….tick..tock…….etc”.
Let the clock run for a while and see how it does. Most of the time, if the clock runs an hour, it will keep running. If it stops, look for a rub, and/or fine-tune the crutch adjustment.