Thanks Bob!
I'll try the wood in the spindle bush ckeaning trick -- I think you're right that may be the problem. The stop is a screw that goes into the end of the spindle under the cap at the top of the indicator. I also have been thinking that some corrosion or dirt above the bush under the screw head may be preventing it from sliding positively to a stop .
Thanks for letting me know about the non-existent jewels. Glad to know I'm not crazy, or didn't lose something when opening the clock!
Thanks for the good advice, too: I will be careful not to push the movement too fast when trying it, though I have to admit I probably did sometimes already.
As a side note, I just also took apart and cleaned my old dial caliper. I'd never have done either of these two things without your posts here and encouragement. I hadn't used the caliper for a few years, and the glass had got cracked. There was dirt in the rack. I made a new glass out of a seltzer bottle plastic (I think that was a tip from you years back) and got the movement pivots clean and lubricated, and the rack cleaned. Works beautifully again. I'm going back to using that with my Gingery lathe. I built the lathe with that caliper 20 years ago, so I feel like they go together. I actually like it better than the digitals I have. Just feels better to use. The digital calipers I'll use elsewhere -- just not with the Gingery. I know.....tool sentiment.....
