I make my living overhauling the Atmos and 400-day or
Anniversary clocks from all over North America and I'm an
active Atmos overhaul Instructor.
Because of the complexities of the Atmos clock, an Atmos
needs a complete overhaul whenever serviced. An Atmos keeping
good time does not need any periodic maintenance, so don't waste
your money on what other's may have said.
The current price of an overhaul for any LeCoultre made
Atmos is $400.00, which includes all labor, plus shipping,
handling, and insurance, which adds $50.00. This brings the
base overhaul total to $450.00 which includes $2,000.00 of
return shipping insurance. Added to that base charge is any
needed parts. The above price includes a 5-year warranty.
Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii doubles to $100.00.
International shipping triples to $150.00 and complete information
is located at: Service charges for clocks outside North America.
One part of note because of its expense is the bellows also
called the motor. It is the large round "bowl shaped" object on
the back of the clock. The current cost to refill your original
bellows (if needed) is $150.00. On average 80% of bellows can be
refilled and that assures that your Atmos stays 100% original. If
the bellows cannot be refilled then the only choice is to replace
and that costs $250.00 for new bellows.
My overhaul service takes about 4 to 6 weeks and includes a
5-year warranty on all labor and any part you paid for and installed
by myself. Add about a month if the bellows needs to be refilled or
if your case or dial is to be refinished.
The only price exceptions are the 50th and 150th anniversary
special editions and the Reutter Atmos; those Atmos' are $650.00
for the overhaul.
I have over 20 years experience on the LeCoultre Atmos and
I have the longest warranty anywhere at 5 years.
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Parts (If they are needed)
Currently, all parts MUST be ordered and pre-paid
from Jaeger-LeCoultre in New York City. LeCoultre will NOT allow
me to stock up on parts and this is my only alternative.
It takes at least 2 weeks and as much as 2 months in
order to get your needed genuine Atmos parts because of the
way LeCoultre chooses to handle orders.
Also, many overhauls require a new suspension spring, which
currently cost $100.00 installed. It has been my experience that
if the serial # of the Atmos is under 150,000 then, sometimes,
the suspension spring WILL need replacing, if it is the original
part. Also, there is a possibility in these older Atmos' that
the mainspring is set. A set mainspring has lost its ability to
hold its tension and therefore cannot drive the clock accurately.
This is very rare but there are times when a new mainspring is
needed and the current cost is $100.00.
Because of the high cost of the bellows, currently $250.00,
I do not replace it unless it has lost 9 mm or gas or more. That
would make my depth measurements 32mm or greater. In most cases,
I can have your original bellows refilled at a cost to you of
$150.00 and that represents a $100.00 savings over replacement
bellows.
Refilling the bellows is my personal preference because it
keeps the clock 100% original and your original bellows contains
the date of manufacture, which is used to date your Atmos.
If the clock stops within the 5 year warranty period and we
find that it is the bellows, then I do NOT charge for my labor to
install a new bellows but you would be responsible for the cost
of the bellows and the return shipping charge of $50.00.
I like to take the wait and see approach. I have seen
bellows "flat" after only ten years and I see "perfect"
bellows that were 65 years old.
I sometimes have a refurbished bellows (part # 3581) and/or
a repaired 4th wheel (part # 3402) on eBay.
Please see what I have for sale ! 
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J. L. Reutter & Mercury Bellows
The very first commercial production run of the Atmos (now
called the Atmos 1) was made by Compagnie generale de radio (CGR).
Together with Jean-Leon Reutter, production started in June 1929.
Two French patents were granted for the Atmos 0 (624.595) and for
the Atmos I (664.689) but that company never produced the Atmos 0.
They are very nicely made and typically they have a plate saying
"Reutter Brevet" or "Brevets J. L. Reutter S. G. D. G."
(Brevet = Patent). Production stopped on July 27, 1935 when
the company transferred all inventory and work in progress to
LeCoultre.
These clocks were wound with two mercury filled glass vials.
Assuming these glass vials are intact with the proper amount of
mercury, I will overhaul these clocks for $650.00 base overhaul
labor plus shipping plus parts.
Please be aware that original parts are nonexistent but
internally the LeCoultre parts will work as original parts. This
means that I have no access to any external or case parts.
I have no way to replace the glass vials or the mercury.
But manual winding is a snap and to access just opening the back
door and then push the protruding small knob on the bellows up
and then allow it to come down on its own. Once the bellows
no longer comes down on its own, the clock is fully wound and
should last for about a year.
Please see Atmos History for more information
about the history of the Atmos clock.
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Warranty, Shipping, & Turnaround
The reason I give a 5-year warranty is because I feel
that no one can touch my service or expertise in the repair
of the Atmos clock. Also, most Atmos clocks will run about
14 months on a full wind of the mainspring, which all "repair
persons" do for any level of service. So if there are any
bellows or winding troubles, they will not surface for over
a year and that may be after "their" the warranty expires.
I advise shipping the Atmos with the original carton
if available. Please make sure that the clock does not rattle
in its first shipping box. Take up any space with packing
peanuts or newspaper in order to eliminate any looseness.
In any case, please be sure to double box the clock and insure
it for at least $2,000. By double box I mean to pack the 1st
and 2nd boxes as if you were going to ship each independent
from the other one. Also, to reduce your shipping costs
ship via UPS, be sure that the 2nd box measures 16" x 16" x 16"
or less. Please pack each box WELL. When I ship the Atmos back,
I use a 12" x 12" x 12" box for the clock and then the
16" x 16" x 16" for the second.
I understand some trepidation about shipping an Atmos and I
can assure you that if the clock is packed well, there should
not be a problem. I have shipped repaired Atmos' all over the
world and never have had to deal with shipping insurance because
of any damage done during transit. I must have shipped over
1,000 Atmos' so just use common sense and pack each box well.
My turnaround is usually 4 to 6 weeks. Please be sure
to LOCK the pendulum before doing ANYTHING! Old parts are
returned by request only.
Upon the receipt of the clock, I inspect it to make sure
that it survived its trip to the Clinic. If all appears okay,
then it usually takes about 1 week to perform the complete
disassembly. At this time, I call or write you to advice
on what, if any, parts are needed and the amount quoted, at that
time, becomes a firm price.
After that initial contact, the parts are ordered and
the overhaul work usually begins within 1 to 2 weeks. My
volume of Atmos overhauls has been steadily increasing and
turn times are estimates and may be longer than indicated above.
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Testing and the Unknown
Once testing starts it is performed in two parts. The first
test is the function test to ascertain whether or not my overhaul
was satisfactory. Then the second test is the timing test which
takes about 2 weeks. I ship when both the final payment and the
testing period have been satisfied. Normally shipping takes place
three weeks or so after the overhaul is completed.
When I ship back the clock, the package will contain your
original invoice and an instruction manual that I authored.
Please be advised that the original estimate cannot
determine whether or not the suspension spring currently has
the strength to properly slow the rotation of the pendulum. An
older weaker suspension spring will cause the clock to run
fast because the balance will swing until it is stopped by
opposite side of the fork. This secondary contact of the fork
prevents the balance from making its full rotation and
therefore the clock will run fast and you will not be able to
regulate the time. Most times the original suspension spring
can be used but I cannot guarantee that fact until I complete
testing.
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Payment and Estimates
I would like payment by money orders, certified checks, or
company checks but considering the testing time, personal checks
are fine and repeat customers may always use personal checks.
I discourage prepayments, except for part charges that exceed
$500.00.
You may also use Pay Pal by clicking on the link below:
If you decide not to go ahead with the repair, then I return
the clock via UPS and COD. The charge will be $100.00 labor, plus
the COD charge ($8.00), plus my standard shipping and the
insurance charges ($50.00). This total works out to be $158.00
for a clock returned unrepaired after my estimate. The COD is
dropped if you are a previous customer of mine or if you paid
before the clock is shipped .
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Refilled Bellows
Through various efforts in the trade, I now can offer to
refill your original bellows (if needed). Bellows are filled
with ethyl chloride, which is that same material used by LeCoultre.
I offer this service for a cost of $150.00, which is a
$100.00 savings versus a new bellows. If the bellows fail within
the 5 year warranty period, you must pay for return shipping and the
current price difference between the refilled and new bellows, which
is currently $100.00. I will replace your spent refilled bellows,
which was initially refilled by me, with a new bellows and
only charge the $100.00, no labor cost or return shipping
will be charged.
The above costs are only good as part of a complete overhaul.
If you want the bellows refilled as a stand alone service, then
the cost is $210.00. That includes return shipping and you will
have to remove the spent bellows and sent it to me and reinstall
the refilled bellows.
If you do not have the old bellows, then I can supply a bellows
usually manufactured within a year of your serial #. That adds
$50.00 to the $210.00 mentioned above.
You can also order a "spent" bellows that will date within a year
of your original bellows. For just an old bellows without refilling,
the charge is $60.00 including shipping.
You must be aware that there is a 20% failure on refilling used
bellows. Therefore, I cannot guarantee that your bellows refill will
be successful.
If the procedure fails, then I'll return your original bellows
at no charge, assuming that you sent just the bellows for refilling.
If you sent the entire clock as part of an overhaul, then I will
install new bellows at an extra cost of $250.00.
I will NOT and do NOT sell "NEW" bellows to anyone and will only
install new bellows as a part of a complete overhaul.
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Soldered Bellows
Many of the older Atmos' with a serial # below
50,000 have soldered bellows. This presents a whole new
set of problems in order to replace worn out bellows
because the bellows are actually soldered onto the
bellows canister and plate.
I have a procedure for removing a "dead" bellows
from the old soldered bellows cover found on the older
Atmos' and it's located at: Bellows.doc or Bellows2.pdf
If you would like me to do the same procedure,
which keeps the original bellows canister and hardware,
except the "dead" bellows, I charge $550.00 which includes
the new bellows. The actual original bellows is replaced
with a new one.
The $550.00 only covers the material and labor costs
for changing the soldered bellows canister to one where any
future changing of the bellows would be greatly simplified.
The above costs are only good as part of a complete overhaul.
All overhaul and other part costs will be added to the $550.00.
If you want your soldered bellows replaced with a new bellows
as a stand alone service, then the cost is $660.00. That includes
return shipping and you will have to remove the entire bellows
(cover and motor included) and sent it to me and reinstall the
completed bellows. The $660.00 must be pre paid and the service
can take as long as 4 months because of slowness in the ordering
process for the new bellows.
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Dial and Case Refinishing
Dial refinishing is $150.00. This will make your old
worn Atmos dial look like new. This is a nice companion to
case refinishing.
Case work such as stripping, polishing, and lacquer
sealing is an additional $400.00. This procedure makes the clock
look new and extremely hard to tell that there is no gold plating.
Polishing and lacquering includes all exposed case parts,
all base parts, the bellows canister and the canister lid.
Normally the pendulum and dial bezel do not need this but it's
included if they have been tarnished. Please be aware that some
pendulum bobs cannot be refinished because of their uniqueness.
An example would be if your pendulum bob has black lines on it
because the refinishing would remove these black lines and I have
no way to accurately "reline" the bob.
If 24 karat gold plating is desired then the total
additional cost is $1,000.00. Gold plating is so expensive
because it involves the initial polishing procedure to bring
the parts down to brass. Then the parts are nickel plated
which is followed by the 24 karat gold plating and finally
the clear lacquer.
Both the $400.00 for polishing and $1,000.00 for polishing
and 24 karat gold plating are added to the cost of the overhaul
and any needed parts.
Dial refinishing and case polishing and/or plating is NOT
offered as a separate service and will only be done in conjunction
with an overhaul. The same goes for any part, which means that
I do NOT sell parts nor am I a source for Atmos parts.
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Trade Discounts
I do not give any trade or volume discounts.
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"Rush" Jobs
A job that requires the return of the completed Atmos clock
in less than a month is available. The "catch" is that my
labor charge doubles from $400.00 to $800.00, with everything
else staying the same.
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Generic Operations Manual
A link to my Atmos Operations Manual
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Accuracy of This Web Page
For whatever reason, I get asked if the above Web site is up to
date and accurate. If and when anything about my business
practices, prices, or policies changes, the first thing I do is
update this Web page regardless of the "last updated" date that
appears at the bottom.
In other words, if you are viewing this Web page for the first
time and/or have hit the "refresh" on your browser, you can be
assured that all the information is accurate and completely
up to date.
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Respectfully,
Michael P. Murray
A service from, E-mail address: Mike@atmos-man.com
Mike Murray Founder of Clocksmiths
A specialist in Atmos and 400-day clock repair.
Also, I overhaul most A/C electric clocks.
In continuous service since 04/01/1982.
Mike's Clock Clinic Membership: NAWCC
17000 S. Western Avenue # 7
Gardena, CA 90247-5262
Phone: 310-225-5645, or 877-286-6762
My Web site is located at http://www.atmos-man.com/
Main FTP site is located at http://home.earthlink.net/~atmosman/earthftp.html
Memberships: Clocksmiths; NAWCC
N.A.W.C.C. Chapter # 75 "The San Fernando Valley"
N.A.W.C.C. International 400-day Clock Chapter # 168
Formally published in Chapter 168's "Torsion Times"
Formally published in AWCI's "Horological Times"
Formally AWCI's 400-day (Anniversary) clock Bench Course Instructor!
Back to Mike's Clock Clinic's Main Web Page
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Copyright © 1995-2008 Michael P. Murray & Mike's Clock Clinic
Created in December of 1995 and last updated January 01, 2008.
Please see what I have for sale !
Return to Index Copyright © 1995-2008 Michael P. Murray & Mike's Clock Clinic Created in December of 1995 and last updated January 01, 2008.