When will I receive my product?
When you place an order with us, this is bound to be the first question you ask. Today, folks are accustomed to large online mass-market entities with 75 nationwide 500,000 sq. ft. fulfillment centers that offer same-day overnight shipping. We wish that specialized self-winding clocks were a mass market business, but alas, it is not. Any collector knows how difficult it is to find a single self-winding clock in good condition, and so we must expect that there aren’t many opportunities here for a mass-market entity.
Our product offering is very broad, because the needs are very model-specific to a particular clock. A NYSWC clock, SWCC clock, NSWCC clock, or ATO for example all operate in different ways, and therefore require different products to power and drive them. Master clocks and secondary clocks were made differently. Even secondary clocks can be non-reversing or reversing drive, at any voltage from 1.5V to 100V. Our product line covers all of these clocks and many, many more. It’s impossible to design a “One Size Fits All” product compatible with all of the different vintage self-winding clocks out there. Therefore, our products are many, and operate differently depending on the clock you need powered or synchronized. In the manufacturing business, this is called “low volume high mix.” This is probably the most challenging of any manufacturing problems since, effectively, products are virtually built to order.
What makes Ken’s Clock Clinic unique is that we’ve made this problem manageable by innovative design, building from a common “platform.” Internally, there are common components used between different products. But, overall they still represent different end products, form factors, labels, testing, instructions, software, etc.
With this in mind, we’ve included notes in the Shipping tabs of many products to guide you in your expectations. Keep in mind that every timing product will require calibration (and verification) to sub-part-per-million levels. This is very high precision! But it is needed if your clock is going to keep good time when run by our Model 1900W-UNV, UNVR, UNV MS, 1900S, etc. So, please be patient since each one of these models requires post-build calibration (and verification) to assure that it will operate precisely for you.
Oh, and if we did attempt to make a “one size fits all” product, it wouldn’t be an ideal fit for ANY particular clock, and probably wouldn’t work correctly either. That would not be the right thing to do.
Some products, like our Model 1900L, are kept in stock and can ship immediately. But, timing products will require a little extra TLC to assure you receive the highest quality available anywhere. It’s only a few days more to insure that you are happy!
Our standard shipping is USPS Priority 2-3 day transit time for most products (except the 1900R since it is lithium based). The 1900R must be shipped FedEx Ground and can ONLY be economically offered in the continental US. This service generally takes about 5 business days transit time. But other than this exception, once your order ships it should arrive at your US-based location fairly quickly. If you are an international customer, keep in mind that shipping times are less predictable and will always be subject to unavoidable customs delays.