Horologists: overhaul quotes that price the movement, not just the bench. Free, no signup. All defaults are editable starting points, not market rates.
More trains, strike, chime, tubes, or Atmos-style work raises the multiplier on bench time. Set it to match what this movement actually demands.
Test-stand time is bench space that earns nothing. Warranty returns happen after the money is spent, so price a reserve into every quote.
A clock overhaul is not one job. A time-only movement and a three-train chiming longcase are different species, yet many horologists quote one flat overhaul number and eat the difference when the chiming train takes twice the bench time. This calculator splits the job the way repair shops that stay in business split it: a base bench time for the overhaul itself, a complexity multiplier for the movement type, parts with a real markup, and the invisible time around the bench.
Pick the movement preset closest to the job. Each one fills bench hours and a complexity multiplier that you can adjust to your own system. Enter the parts: bushings at cost, mainsprings, and anything else the movement needs once it is apart, plus your markup. Then add the leaks: pickup and return drives, miles at vehicle cost, test-stand running-in time, and a warranty return reserve percentage. The calculator shows the true cost, the recommended price rounded up, your effective rate per hour against your target rate, and named warnings for the classic leaks like zero test-stand time or no warranty reserve. The "what would you have quoted" box tells you what your old number really pays you per hour and how much you left on the table.
Example only, not typical pricing. A two-train strike clock comes in for an overhaul. You set a $75 per hour target with a 20 percent margin, 5 bench hours at a 1.25 multiplier, 8 bushings at $4 each, one $45 mainspring, 50 percent parts markup, 60 minutes of test-stand time, a 40-minute round-trip drive with 24 miles at $0.67 per mile, and a 5 percent warranty reserve. The bench labor alone is $468.75, parts bill out at $115.50, vehicle cost is $16.08, and the warranty reserve adds $23.44. True cost lands at $710.27, and the recommended quote is $875. A $450 gut quote would pay about $45 per hour, sit $260.27 below true cost, and leave $425 on the table.
It depends on the movement. A simple time-only overhaul may take 3 to 5 bench hours, while three-train chiming movements, 400-day anniversaries, and tubular grandfather movements can take 8 to 20 hours or more once bushings, pivot work, and test running are counted. Track your own hours per movement type and use your real numbers here.
Yes. Repair shops that price by movement type or use a complexity multiplier consistently report fewer margin surprises. Time-only, time-and-strike, three-train chiming, and multi-tube movements are materially different jobs. A single flat overhaul price is the fastest way to underprice the complex ones.
Parts at cost earn you nothing for the time spent sourcing them. Many independent repair shops use 40 to 100 percent markup on small parts like bushings and springs. Set a markup that reflects your sourcing time and enter it honestly.
Yes. Running-in time on the test stand ties up bench space that cannot earn elsewhere, and regulating a movement that will not hold beat is unpaid time if it was not in the quote. Price it as bench time.
A small reserve percentage priced into every quote covers the occasional return without eating the month. Set it from your own history: if one in twenty jobs comes back, a 5 percent reserve on labor keeps the math honest.