Setting the Time on a Hermle Quartz 1217 Clock Movement

I couldn't find setting instructions for my mantle clock online so after figuring it out myself, I thought I would share my findings for anyone else who may own this clock.

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Step 1: Don't mar the finish.

Set the clock face down on a soft surface so you don't scratch the wood. I used the couch.

tilt_u says: Aug 27, 2011. 4:50 AM

The last option is automatic night silence.

The user manual states that the chime is switched off from 20:15 to 8:00 (8:15 PM till 8:00 AM).
Although it doesn't state whether those times are last/first chime or first/last silence. I haven't let it run that long yet but believe that's a detail.

Of course you need to set the digital setting in the correct 24 hour time for that to work.

Finally a clock which is silent long enough to not disturb sleep even in the weekends. But perhaps it's silent a bit too early. But the time of first chime whether it's 8:00 or 8:15 is imho very fine choice which I believe should fit most people.
But new Hermle and Keninger movements you can customize to any 8 hours off time or half volume whatever you like but perhaps that's a bit too short duration too. In contrast I really hate the Asian ones like Seiko. Silent only from late evening and first strike 6:00 AM - so those you just leave off.

michaelsteinbach (author) in reply to tilt_uDec 19, 2011. 6:55 PM

Hey, sorry I hadn't seen your comments earlier.
I'm glad you got a hold of one of these. It's the only one I had ever seen and it is quite an impressive movement for it's age. I grew up with this in the house and it was always on the mantle above the fireplace, far from any bedrooms so we never had it on night silent mode. Nice to know it'll work forever, perhaps my mom will give it to us someday so I can share it with my future kids.

tilt_u says: Aug 10, 2011. 4:37 AM

What a cool clock! Ever since I saw this I've been looking for it or a new one in the same style, movement irrelevant as long as it's not mechanical, I can change it for a new Hermle if not satishfied. But apparently haven't got any luck so far. I really like it's style. Like you've cut off the top of a grandfather clock. OK there are a few of those but none with this kind of style and dial and mostly the cases have a stupid handle on top.
Been looking everywhere. Many of the early Bulova clocks were actually re-branded Hermle clocks so been looking for in (online) market places in Germany too.

How does the movement sound? I haven't found an example anywhere.

To my knowledge it's one of the very first electronic chime movements if not the first. So it's really impressive they got it so sophisticated with lots of setup and tunes. The earliest trust able information I've found about this movement is in Popular Science, May 1981 @ page 161 where there's an advertisement for it. (Some eB.. sellers of clocks with this movement will tell you it's from the 60's or early 70's but they're wrong. By judging from the electronics alone I would say late 70's at it's oldest).

Another impressive thing. In the advertisement it's advertized as 1 minute pr. year accuracy. Good luck finding a consumer movement with this guaranteed accuracy today (RC clocks are basically no better they're just adjusted automatically at intervals). Today quartz movements are 1 minute every on or two months. Incredible - in 1981 you could get a quite precise quartz clock - but 30 years later precision is now 10 times worse... ! :S

Besides Hermle 1217 it has also been branded as Junghans 771 and probably one more but I'm not sure.

tilt_u in reply to tilt_uAug 27, 2011. 5:01 AM

Finally got my clock with this movement though the customs. Unfortunately not that design and a moisture damaged case but I only bought the clock because i was curious about the movement although still looking for this particular design. (actually I stumbled upon another clock with that movement too a week later which is very fine but still not this design. Although that clock I'm going to keep the way it is. Funny when looking for something for ages then suddenly you stumble upon many of them and because buying the bad one first I bought both)

I'm quite amazed by this movement. It sounds amazingly like a mechanical one. Of course you can easily hear it's not but considered it's from 1981 I'm very impressed. Even many new mantel clocks today sounds worse!

I'm a bit of an electronics geek and of course I took the movement from the bad clock apart to take a look in it (movement itself is fine). It's build upon a Hitachi µC HD43028A and a 4.194304 MHz crystal. If I read the datecode correct the chip in mine was made in April 1981... As said I'm amazed of what they achieved. Also being from that time it's probably manufactured with mask ROM so (at least the digital part) will still work eons from now. Modern ones with flash like ROM will not because of bit rot