August 27, 2026

How to take a movement out of a Mantel Clock

A lot of mantel clocks these days use quartz movements. Those aren’t really repairable but mantel clocks with mechanical movements will need maintenance and repair from time to time. In this article, we’ll walk you through the most common ways to remove the movement from a mantel clock.

Side by side of open mantel clock with quartz movement and mechanical movement.

As with all mechanical clocks, the hands need to come off before you attempt to take the movement out. Unscrew the hand nut and carefully slide the hands off the post.

Mantel clock face with roman numerals and arrow pointing to hand shaft with clock hands removed.

We recommend placing the clock face down on a soft surface once the hands are removed. Some mantel clocks use a pendulum, so be careful and remove that too if it will hit anything when the clock is laid down.

Wooden mantel clock laying face down on sheet of foam.

For balance driven movements, you will want to avoid touching the hairspring. If that gets bent or squashed, your clock will no longer keep time. Grab the movement by the edges once you unfasten it.

Close up of hairspring on brass clock movement.

Some clocks will have the movement fastened inside with mounting brackets or arms. Access these through the back panel of the clock. There will be a screw attaching the brackets or arms to the case. Unscrew those and your movement should come free.

Back of open mantel clock with visible brass movement and red arrow pointing to mounting arm with screws.

Depending on your clock case, it may take careful maneuvering to get the movement out. If your clock is like this, please take your time. Rushing the process could damage your movement.

Emperor Clock employee carefully removing brass movement from a wooden mantel clock.

Dial posts and pins are another way the movement may be attached. This means the movement is fastened directly to the face. Locate the 4 dial posts and carefully remove the pins. Your movement will come out once all 4 are removed.

Close up of brass clock movement and pliers removing dial pin.

Higher-end mantel clocks may have the movement attached to the bottom of the case with mounting posts or screws (or sometimes both). In this case, the dial is actually attached to the movement itself and will come out when you take the movement out. We do not recommend you attempt maintenance on this style of clock. Bring the clock to a clock repair professional.

Red arrow pointing at posts holding up silver movement on high end clock.

These are the most common ways to remove a mantel clock movement. Keep in mind there may be odd variations that we did not cover here, so examine your clock carefully.

Next article Hermle Clock Giveaway (Ends 8/20/26)