Clock Hands
Replacement clock hands are in stock and over fifty different pairs of hour and minute hands in black and brass as well as nine in brushed aluminum. This group is divided into two categories: under 3″ and over 3″. We also stock 11 different second hands in brass, black and red as well as offer a selection of antique black finish hands.
All Clock Hands Are Not Standardized !
Our American made hour and minute hands are sold in pre-matched pairs. Your primary concern is with the length of the minute hand. Minute hands are measured from the center of the mounting hole to the tip of the hand. Normally, minute hands and second hands are about the same length. Hour clock arms are normally 2/3 the length of the matching minute hands. Please remember that all of our clock hands can be easily trimmed to a shorter length, and that the hands listed in this section have been made to fit all American "I" shaft movement configuration, which are used on most (but not all) battery operated quartz movements.
“Hands that are 6” or longer will require that a High Torque movement be used”.
The American "I" shaft hand configuration is fairly easy to identify without taking careful measurements. On all American "I" shaft movements, the mounting hole in the minute hand is "oblong with two flat sides", and the hour hand hole is round. The American "I" shaft configuration is used on most (but not all) battery and electric movements. It is not used on mechanical movements. The American "I" shaft configuration also requires a small round nut to hold the minute hand in place.
The most important thing to remember about all clock hands is that they are not standardized, and the mounting holes in the hands themselves are actually measured to with one thousandth of an inch! It is often easier to match the movement to the hands then it is to match the hands to the movement.
The hands listed in this section will fit any of the movements shown on our web site, except for those movements which show a selection of hands with the movements themselves.
If you choose any gold finish hands, please be sure to remove the plastic coating before use. If you wish to paint your hands another color, please choose a black style, as they are easier to paint. All of our black hands are white on the reverse side.
Hour and Minute Hands
The selection of clock hands we offer is nothing short of amazing. Starting with the hour and minute hands category, we offer a great selection of hour and minute hands, all sold by the pair. All pairs of hands are sold based on the length of the minute hand (the longer one), and are measured from the middle of the mounting hole to the tip.
The length of the hour hand (the shorter one) is not considered. Hour hands are normally 2/3’s the length of the minute hand, depending on the style. Almost every motor we offer uses hour and minute hands made to the American “I” shaft standard. The mounting hole shapes and sizes are listed as you enter the Hour and Minute hands category.
We offer so many pairs of hour and minute hands that we have had to break them down into 3 categories: less than 3 inches, 3 to five inches and hands for high torque movements that range from just over 5 inches to nearly 18 inches.
Between the under 3 inch and 3 to 5 inch categories we offer 45 different styles in both brass and black. All of our hands are listed in ascending size order, so locating your desired size range is easy. Remember trimming hands to a shorter length is perfectly normal.
The hands for high torque movements category shows 17 pairs of large hands from 5-3/8 inches up to nearly 18 inches. The hands under 7 inches are available in brass or black. All others are available as listed in white, black or antique black.
Second Hands
Second hands are another major category. We actually break them down into two groups: regular “I” shaft second hands and second hands just for Seiko movements.
We show 35 different regular “I” shaft second hands (all with a bushing hole size of .030 inches to .031 inches) and 15 different second hands for use with Seiko movements (all with a bushing hole size of .034 inches to.035 inches).
Please remember our gold second hands are brass clad steel and have a protective film that needs to be removed before. All our black and red second hands are aluminum. Any of our second hands can easily be trimmed to a shorter length if desired.
Antique Series Hands
Antique clock hands are another great category. Here is where we list large hands for high torque movements with both antique black as well as large white hands and smaller hands with an antique finish.
Best of all, all of our hour, minute and second hands are made here in the USA! The result is great quality and quick delivery if we ever need a custom color or need to have any hands pre-trimmed to a specific size. The minimum for custom color clock hands or existing designs that we do not carry is 1,000 pieces. Contact our sales department for more information or go to the home page.
Hand Protectors are a unique category. They are invaluable for our manufacturing customers who want their clock hands protected during shipping. We offer two different sizes of these clear plastic protectors that will cover most applications. Please remember that this is the only time that you have to consider the total overall length of the clock hands. Contact our sales department for more information.
What are Clock Hands
A clock hand is an arm that connects to the shaft on a clock movement that overlays over a clock dial face and points to the numerals or symbols on the clock face or watch that displays the time. Most clocks have a short hour hand a long minute hand and a long skinny second hand to display the time.