- May 5, 2024
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The owner started working on clocks 43 years ago with his father
There’s no doubt when noon arrives at J.C.’s Clock & Jewelry, 57 N. Yonge St. Cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, chiming clocks, all fill the air with their sounds.
“It’s very musical. We get serenaded,” said Cindy Beauchaine, who owns the store along with her husband, Jim. “We can tell when something is wrong with a clock by its musical chime.”
In the digital world, where devices are discarded as soon as the next model comes along, clocks are still valued.
“They are family heirlooms,” she said. Some clocks are handed down through four generations.
The Beauchaines repair many clocks for customers that date back to the 1800s, and have worked on clocks that go as far back as the 1700s.
They find a demand for their business. They said winter residents in the area bring clocks from home, from as far away as New England, to be repaired.
They note that there aren’t many clock repair shops around anymore, and few young people choose clock repair as a career.
Jim Beauchaine started repairing clocks 43 years ago when he was 15 years old, working for his dad, a master clock and jewelry repairman. They moved down from Michigan 40 years ago.
Jim is also a goldsmith and sets stones and repairs jewelry.
Keeping the business interesting, he said, is the large variety of clocks.
“People don’t realize how many thousands of different types and styles of clocks there are,” he said. “Sometimes I think I’ve seen everything, and someone will bring in something new. And they all have the same function … to tell time.”
He holds up a clock movement he is working on, with a complicated set of wheels and gears.
“I look at this and I’m amazed at how someone designed it,” he said.
The clocks from the 1800s can be repaired, because people have taken care of them, Cindy Beauchaine said.
She recommends that mechanical clocks be cleaned every five years. She said some people ask for clock to be “oiled,” but they have to be taken apart for proper maintenance.
She said mechanical clocks can be regulated, if they are running fast or slow, but it’s a good idea to consult an expert before trying to adjust a clock yourself, because it can be hard to do.
“Calling is free,” she said.
For battery clocks, she recommends that the battery be replaced annually, just like in a smoke detector, because they can start leaking acid.
“It’s cheaper to change a battery every year than repair a clock,” she said.
Also, she warns that it’s dangerous to turn a clock’s hands back to set the time. She recommends stopping the clock, if it’s too far ahead, and then starting again when the time is correct. The hands can be turned back on a quartz clock, but for all others, it’s safest to not turn the hands back.
In addition to being heirlooms, clocks are also part of home décor, and will remain popular. But, modern clocks are not made as sturdily as old clocks, she said.
They enjoy keeping the clocks running.
“We love our little shop and care about what we do,” she said.
Visit jcsclockjewelry.com or call 673-3444.
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