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Clockmaker

February 15, 2024

A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches. Clockmakers must be able to read blueprints and instructions for numerous types of clocks and time pieces that vary from antique clocks to modern time pieces in order to fix and make clocks or watches. The trade requires fine motor coordination as clockmakers must frequently work on devices with small gears and fine machinery.[citation needed]

Woodcut of medieval clockmaker, 1568
Lateral view of a Timothy Mason longcase clock movement with striking mechanism, c. 1730

Originally, clockmakers were master craftsmen who designed and built clocks by hand. Since modern clockmakers are required to repair antique, handmade or one-of-a-kind clocks for which parts are not available, they must have some of the design and fabrication abilities of the original craftsmen. A qualified clockmaker can typically design and make a missing piece for a clock without access to the original component.

Clockmakers generally do not work on watches; the skills and tools required are different enough that watchmaking is a separate field, handled by another specialist, the watchmaker.

Origins and specialities edit

The earliest use of the term clokkemaker is said to date from 1390, about a century after the first mechanical clocks appeared.[1] From the beginning in the 15th century through the 17th century, clockmaking was considered the "leading edge", most technically advanced trade existing. Historically, the best clockmakers often also built scientific instruments, as for a long time they were the only craftsmen around trained in designing precision mechanical apparatus. In one example, the harmonica was invented by a young German clockmaker, which was then mass-produced by another clockmaker, Matthias Hohner.

Prior to 1800 clocks were entirely handmade, including all their parts, in a single shop under a master clockmaker. Examples of these complex movements can be seen in the many longcase clocks constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the 19th century, clock parts were beginning to be made in small factories, but the skilled work of designing, assembling, and adjusting the clock was still done by clockmaking shops. By the 20th century, interchangeable parts and standardized designs allowed the entire clock to be assembled in factories, and clockmakers specialized in repair of clocks.

In Germany, Nuremberg and Augsburg were the early clockmaking centers, and the Black Forest came to specialize in wooden cuckoo clocks.[2]

Guilds edit

As the art of making clocks became more widespread and distinguished, guilds specifically for this trade emerged around the sixteenth century. One of the first guilds developed in London, England, known as the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers; the group formed after a small number of foreign-trained clockmakers spent time working in London.[3] A requirement of joining the guild was to practise their craft and gain as much experience as possible, along with joining one of many other trade guilds, such as the Blacksmiths, Stationers, or Drapers Company. There are many guilds where clockmakers meet to buy, sell and get clocks to repair from customers, the IWJG is one of the most prominent in the world.

Quality control and standards were imposed on clockmakers by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, a guild which licensed clockmakers for doing business. By the rise of consumerism in the late 18th century, clocks, especially pocket watches, became regarded as fashion accessories and were made in increasingly decorative styles. By 1796, the industry reached a high point with almost 200,000 clocks being produced annually in London. However, by the mid-19th century the industry had gone into steep decline from Swiss competition.[4] Switzerland established itself as a clockmaking center following the influx of Huguenot craftsmen, and in the 19th century the Swiss industry "gained worldwide supremacy in high-quality machine-made watches". The leading firm of the day was Patek Philippe founded by Antoni Patek of Warsaw and Adrien Philippe of Bern.[5]

Tools edit

Early clockmakers fashioned all the intricate parts and wheelwork of clocks by hand, using hand tools. They developed specialized tools to help them.[6]

  • Balance Truing Caliper: This device was used in fashioning the wheels and gearwork of the clock, to make sure the wheel, particularly the balance wheel was balanced and circular. The pivots of the wheel were mounted in the caliper. An index arm was moved next to the edge and the wheel was spun to see if the edge was true.
  • Die/Screw Plate: The die plate was used to cut threads on small screws. It had a number of threaded die holes of different sizes for making different threads. A piece of wire was inserted in a hole and turned to cut a thread on the end. Then a head would be formed on the other end of the wire to make a screw.
  • File: Hardened steel files were used to shape the metal before it was used to make and fit wheels or plates. There were many variations of files.
  • Rivet Extracting Pliers: Made of brass or steel, rivet extracting pliers were used to remove rivets from assorted clock parts.
  • Jeweler’s Piercing Saw: The blade of the saw was released by undoing the thumbscrew adjacent to the handle. To start an interior cut, a hole was drilled and the blade was inserted and reattached to the saw. This device was popular among clockmakers to repair the ends of clock hands.
  • Staking tool: An iron vertical plunger was used with an array of stakes for placing rollers and balanced wheels on staffs.
  • Turns: The "turns" was a small bow-operated lathe used for furbishing parts and for working gear blanks to size. During use, the device was clamped in a vise and the worker held a cutting or polishing tool on a tee-shaped tool rest with one hand, and shifted the bow back and forth to spin the part.
  • Cross Peen Riveting Hammer: The flat end of the tool was for general use, whereas the radiused peen end was used for flattening rivet heads. This tool was used for forging, riveting, striking steel, etc.
 
View inside the Relojes Centenario factory in Zacatlán, Puebla Mexico

Other uses edit

 
Finnish School of Watchmaking, Leppävaara, Espoo

Clockmaker is also the name of several movies.[7]

Deists often call God the "Clockmaker".[who?] The Temple of the Great Clockmaker, in the novel The Case Of The Dead Certainty by Kel Richards, is a temple which represents deism.

The Clock Maker Theory and the watchmaker analogy describe by way of analogy religious, philosophical, and theological opinions about the existence of god(s) that have been expressed over the years.

During the 1800s and 1900s, clocks or watches were carried around as a form of flaunting social status. They were also a way of instilling a sense of time regulation for work in the budding industrial market.

In 2004, Jim Krueger wrote a comic book entitled The Clock Maker, published by German publisher Image Publishing, that focuses on the life of a clockmaker.

Artist Tony Troy creates the Illustration titled "The Clockmaker" in 2003 for his Broadway musical "The Fluteplayer's Song".[8]

Historical clockmakers edit

 
The statue of the clockmaker-locksmith (by Jean Cuypers – 19th century) – Brussels

Clockmaking organizations edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Clock". Encyclopedia of Antiques. Old and Sold Antique Marketplace. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  2. ^ Shull 1963, p. 65.
  3. ^ Mones, Richard Ann; George White (2012). . Antiques and Fine Art magazine. antiquesandfineart.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  4. ^ "England: Where watchmaking all began". Watchpro. 15 January 2013. from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  5. ^ Davies 1996, p. 435.
  6. ^ Carla, Ojha (2002). . Highlights of Past Exhibits. Museum of Early Trades and Crafts website. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  7. ^ "Clockmaker". 18 August 1998. from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2018 – via IMDb.
  8. ^ . www.tonytroyillustrations.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  9. ^ Smith, Jessie Carney (2003). Black Firsts : 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events (2nd, revised and expanded ed.). Canton, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. pp. 591–592. ISBN 1-57859-142-2. OCLC 51060259 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ "tim hunkin home page". timhunkin.com. from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-07-04.

Sources edit

  • Davies, Norman (1996). Europe: A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-01982-0-171-7.
  • Shull, Thelma (1963). Victorian Antiques. Rutland, Vermont: C. E. Tuttle Co. OCLC 1079787454.

External links edit

  Media related to Clockmakers at Wikimedia Commons

  • National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors
  • The British Horological Institute

February 15, 2024
clockmaker, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2020, lea. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Clockmaker news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and or repairs clocks Since almost all clocks are now factory made most modern clockmakers only repair clocks Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers antique shops and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches Clockmakers must be able to read blueprints and instructions for numerous types of clocks and time pieces that vary from antique clocks to modern time pieces in order to fix and make clocks or watches The trade requires fine motor coordination as clockmakers must frequently work on devices with small gears and fine machinery citation needed Woodcut of medieval clockmaker 1568Lateral view of a Timothy Mason longcase clock movement with striking mechanism c 1730Originally clockmakers were master craftsmen who designed and built clocks by hand Since modern clockmakers are required to repair antique handmade or one of a kind clocks for which parts are not available they must have some of the design and fabrication abilities of the original craftsmen A qualified clockmaker can typically design and make a missing piece for a clock without access to the original component Clockmakers generally do not work on watches the skills and tools required are different enough that watchmaking is a separate field handled by another specialist the watchmaker Contents 1 Origins and specialities 2 Guilds 3 Tools 4 Other uses 5 Historical clockmakers 6 Clockmaking organizations 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 10 External linksOrigins and specialities editThe earliest use of the term clokkemaker is said to date from 1390 about a century after the first mechanical clocks appeared 1 From the beginning in the 15th century through the 17th century clockmaking was considered the leading edge most technically advanced trade existing Historically the best clockmakers often also built scientific instruments as for a long time they were the only craftsmen around trained in designing precision mechanical apparatus In one example the harmonica was invented by a young German clockmaker which was then mass produced by another clockmaker Matthias Hohner Prior to 1800 clocks were entirely handmade including all their parts in a single shop under a master clockmaker Examples of these complex movements can be seen in the many longcase clocks constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries By the 19th century clock parts were beginning to be made in small factories but the skilled work of designing assembling and adjusting the clock was still done by clockmaking shops By the 20th century interchangeable parts and standardized designs allowed the entire clock to be assembled in factories and clockmakers specialized in repair of clocks In Germany Nuremberg and Augsburg were the early clockmaking centers and the Black Forest came to specialize in wooden cuckoo clocks 2 Guilds editAs the art of making clocks became more widespread and distinguished guilds specifically for this trade emerged around the sixteenth century One of the first guilds developed in London England known as the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers the group formed after a small number of foreign trained clockmakers spent time working in London 3 A requirement of joining the guild was to practise their craft and gain as much experience as possible along with joining one of many other trade guilds such as the Blacksmiths Stationers or Drapers Company There are many guilds where clockmakers meet to buy sell and get clocks to repair from customers the IWJG is one of the most prominent in the world Quality control and standards were imposed on clockmakers by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers a guild which licensed clockmakers for doing business By the rise of consumerism in the late 18th century clocks especially pocket watches became regarded as fashion accessories and were made in increasingly decorative styles By 1796 the industry reached a high point with almost 200 000 clocks being produced annually in London However by the mid 19th century the industry had gone into steep decline from Swiss competition 4 Switzerland established itself as a clockmaking center following the influx of Huguenot craftsmen and in the 19th century the Swiss industry gained worldwide supremacy in high quality machine made watches The leading firm of the day was Patek Philippe founded by Antoni Patek of Warsaw and Adrien Philippe of Bern 5 Tools editEarly clockmakers fashioned all the intricate parts and wheelwork of clocks by hand using hand tools They developed specialized tools to help them 6 Balance Truing Caliper This device was used in fashioning the wheels and gearwork of the clock to make sure the wheel particularly the balance wheel was balanced and circular The pivots of the wheel were mounted in the caliper An index arm was moved next to the edge and the wheel was spun to see if the edge was true Die Screw Plate The die plate was used to cut threads on small screws It had a number of threaded die holes of different sizes for making different threads A piece of wire was inserted in a hole and turned to cut a thread on the end Then a head would be formed on the other end of the wire to make a screw File Hardened steel files were used to shape the metal before it was used to make and fit wheels or plates There were many variations of files Rivet Extracting Pliers Made of brass or steel rivet extracting pliers were used to remove rivets from assorted clock parts Jeweler s Piercing Saw The blade of the saw was released by undoing the thumbscrew adjacent to the handle To start an interior cut a hole was drilled and the blade was inserted and reattached to the saw This device was popular among clockmakers to repair the ends of clock hands Staking tool An iron vertical plunger was used with an array of stakes for placing rollers and balanced wheels on staffs Turns The turns was a small bow operated lathe used for furbishing parts and for working gear blanks to size During use the device was clamped in a vise and the worker held a cutting or polishing tool on a tee shaped tool rest with one hand and shifted the bow back and forth to spin the part Cross Peen Riveting Hammer The flat end of the tool was for general use whereas the radiused peen end was used for flattening rivet heads This tool was used for forging riveting striking steel etc nbsp View inside the Relojes Centenario factory in Zacatlan Puebla MexicoOther uses edit nbsp Finnish School of Watchmaking Leppavaara EspooClockmaker is also the name of several movies 7 Deists often call God the Clockmaker who The Temple of the Great Clockmaker in the novel The Case Of The Dead Certainty by Kel Richards is a temple which represents deism The Clock Maker Theory and the watchmaker analogy describe by way of analogy religious philosophical and theological opinions about the existence of god s that have been expressed over the years During the 1800s and 1900s clocks or watches were carried around as a form of flaunting social status They were also a way of instilling a sense of time regulation for work in the budding industrial market In 2004 Jim Krueger wrote a comic book entitled The Clock Maker published by German publisher Image Publishing that focuses on the life of a clockmaker Artist Tony Troy creates the Illustration titled The Clockmaker in 2003 for his Broadway musical The Fluteplayer s Song 8 Historical clockmakers edit nbsp The statue of the clockmaker locksmith by Jean Cuypers 19th century BrusselsAaron Lufkin Dennison United Kingdom Abraham Louis Breguet France and Switzerland Achille Brocot France Adolf Scheibe de Germany Antide Janvier France Antoine Cronier Paris Benjamin Vulliamy United Kingdom Christiaan Huygens Netherlands David Hare Scottish philanthropist and pioneer of modern European Education in India David Rittenhouse United States Eli Terry United States Eugene Farcot France Ferdinand Berthoud France and Switzerland Franz Ketterer Germany G Bernard Ramsdale United Kingdom George Graham United Kingdom Giovanni de Dondi Italy Hans Duringer Germany Humbertus Gallet Switzerland J B Joyce amp Company United Kingdom James Ivory United Kingdom Jean Antoine Lepine Franc Jens Olsen Denmark Johann Andreas Klindworth Germany Johann Baptist Beha Germany John Alker United Kingdom John Arnold United Kingdom John Ellicott United Kingdom John Harrison United Kingdom John Tolson United Kingdom John Whitehurst United Kingdom Joost Burgi Switzerland Joseph Knibb United Kingdom Konstantin Chaykin Russia Lazar the Hilandarian late 14th and early 15th century Serbia and Russia Martin Burgess United Kingdom Michelangelo Sapiano Malta Mikulas of Kadan Peter Henlein Germany Peter Hill 1767 1820 African American clockmaker 9 Pierre Le Roy France Rasmus Sornes Norway Richard Donisthorp United Kingdom Richard of Wallingford United Kingdom Salomon Coster Netherlands Sigmund Riefler Germany Simon Willard United States Smith of Derby Group United Kingdom Su Song China Thomas Tompion United Kingdom Thwaites amp Reed United Kingdom Tim Hunkin made the London Zoo Clock and the Southwold Water Clock United Kingdom 10 Timothy Mason United Kingdom William Potts amp Sons United KingdomClockmaking organizations editAWCI British Horological Institute Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH Petrodvorets watch factory Worshipful Company of ClockmakersSee also editChronometer watch Clockkeeper Horology List of clock manufacturers Marine chronometer National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Timepiece WatchmakerReferences edit Clock Encyclopedia of Antiques Old and Sold Antique Marketplace Retrieved 2008 04 20 Shull 1963 p 65 Mones Richard Ann George White 2012 Worshipful Company of Clockmakers Antiques and Fine Art magazine antiquesandfineart com Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved August 2 2012 England Where watchmaking all began Watchpro 15 January 2013 Archived from the original on 19 September 2020 Retrieved 10 May 2021 Davies 1996 p 435 Carla Ojha 2002 Tools of the Clockmaker Highlights of Past Exhibits Museum of Early Trades and Crafts website Archived from the original on August 14 2012 Retrieved August 2 2012 Clockmaker 18 August 1998 Archived from the original on 12 June 2019 Retrieved 28 June 2018 via IMDb Greeting cards and posters by illustrator Tony Troy www tonytroyillustrations com Archived from the original on 8 March 2020 Retrieved 14 January 2022 Smith Jessie Carney 2003 Black Firsts 4 000 Ground Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events 2nd revised and expanded ed Canton Michigan Visible Ink Press pp 591 592 ISBN 1 57859 142 2 OCLC 51060259 via Internet Archive tim hunkin home page timhunkin com Archived from the original on 2013 07 01 Retrieved 2013 07 04 Sources editDavies Norman 1996 Europe A History Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 01982 0 171 7 Shull Thelma 1963 Victorian Antiques Rutland Vermont C E Tuttle Co OCLC 1079787454 External links edit nbsp Media related to Clockmakers at Wikimedia Commons American Watchmakers Clockmakers Institute National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors The British Horological Institute Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Clockmaker amp oldid 1194306478, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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