# Clockmaker > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Clockmaker > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Clockmaker.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clockmaker > Source revision: 1355621427 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Artisan who makes and repairs clocks 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 message) [Woodcut](/source/Woodcut) of medieval clockmaker, 1568 Lateral view of a [Timothy Mason](/source/Timothy_Mason_(clockmaker)) longcase clock movement with striking mechanism, c. 1730 A **clockmaker** is an [artisan](/source/Artisan) who makes and/or repairs [clocks](/source/Clock). Since almost all clocks are now [factory](/source/Factory)-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by [jewellers](/source/Jewellers), [antique shops](/source/Antique_shop), and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches. Clockmakers must be able to read [blueprints](/source/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](/source/Trade_(occupation)) requires [fine motor coordination](/source/Fine_motor_coordination) as clockmakers must frequently work on devices with small [gears](/source/Gears) and fine [machinery](/source/Machinery).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Originally, clockmakers were [master craftsmen](/source/Master_craftsman) who designed and built clocks by hand. Since modern clockmakers are required to repair [antique](/source/Antique), handmade or one-of-a-kind clocks for which parts are not available, they must have some of the [design](/source/Design) and [fabrication](/source/Machining) 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](/source/Watch); the skills and tools required are different enough that watchmaking is a separate field, handled by another specialist, the [watchmaker](/source/Watchmaker). ## Origins and specialities 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](/source/Technology) trade existing. Historically, the best clockmakers often also built [scientific instruments](/source/Scientific_instruments), as for a long time they were the only craftsmen around trained in designing precision mechanical apparatus. In one example, the [harmonica](/source/Harmonica) was invented by a young [German](/source/Germanic_peoples) clockmaker, which was then mass-produced by another clockmaker, Matthias [Hohner](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Interchangeable_parts) and [standardized](/source/Standardized) designs allowed the entire clock to be assembled in factories, and clockmakers specialized in repair of clocks. In Germany, [Nuremberg](/source/Nuremberg) and [Augsburg](/source/Augsburg) were the early clockmaking centers, and the [Black Forest](/source/Black_Forest) came to specialize in wooden [cuckoo clocks](/source/Cuckoo_clocks).[2] ## Guilds 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](/source/Guilds) developed in London, England, known as the [Worshipful Company of Clockmakers](/source/Worshipful_Company_of_Clockmakers); the group formed after a small number of foreign-trained clockmakers spent time working in [London](/source/London).[3] A requirement of joining the guild was to practise their craft and gain as much [experience](/source/Experience) as possible, along with joining one of many other trade guilds, such as the [Blacksmiths](/source/Blacksmiths), [Stationers](/source/Stationers), or [Drapers](/source/Draper) 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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Patek_Philippe) founded by [Antoni Patek](/source/Antoni_Patek) of [Warsaw](/source/Warsaw) and [Adrien Philippe](/source/Adrien_Philippe) of [Bern](/source/Bern).[5] ## Tools 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](/source/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](/source/Die_(manufacturing)) was used to cut [threads on small screws](/source/Screw_thread). 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](/source/File_(tool)). - **Rivet Extracting Pliers**: Made of [brass](/source/Brass) or steel, [rivet](/source/Rivet) extracting [pliers](/source/Pliers) were used to remove rivets from assorted clock parts. - **Jeweler’s [Piercing Saw](/source/Piercing_saw)**: The blade of the saw was released by undoing the [thumbscrew](/source/Thumbscrew_(fastener)) 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](/source/Lathe) used for furbishing parts and for working gear blanks to size. During use, the device was clamped in a [vise](/source/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](/source/Ball-peen_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](/source/Forging), riveting, striking steel, etc. View inside the [Relojes Centenario](/source/Relojes_Centenario) factory in [Zacatlán, Puebla](/source/Zacatl%C3%A1n%2C_Puebla) Mexico ## Other uses Finnish School of Watchmaking, Leppävaara, Espoo *Clockmaker* is also the name of several movies.[7] Anglican clergymen like [William Paley](/source/William_Paley), [John Ray](/source/John_Ray), [Thomas Burnet](/source/Thomas_Burnet_(theologian)) and [William Derham](/source/William_Derham) all referred to God as or likened God to a clockmaker.[8] The Temple of the Great Clockmaker, in the novel *The Case Of The Dead Certainty* by [Kel Richards](/source/Kel_Richards), is a temple which represents deism. The Clock Maker Theory and the [watchmaker analogy](/source/Watchmaker_analogy) describe by way of analogy [religious](/source/Religious), [philosophical](/source/Philosophical), and [theological](/source/Theological) opinions about the existence of [god](/source/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](/source/Status_symbol). They were also a way of instilling a sense of time regulation for work in the [budding industrial market](/source/Industrial_Revolution). In 2004, [Jim Krueger](/source/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".[9] ## Historical clockmakers The statue of the clockmaker-locksmith (by Jean Cuypers – 19th century) – [Brussels](/source/Brussels) - [Aaron Lufkin Dennison](/source/Aaron_Lufkin_Dennison), United Kingdom - [Abraham Louis Breguet](/source/Abraham_Louis_Breguet), France and Switzerland - [Achille Brocot](/source/Achille_Brocot), France - [Adolf Scheibe](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adolf_Scheibe&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Scheibe)], Germany - [Antide Janvier](/source/Antide_Janvier), France - [Antoine Cronier](/source/Antoine_Cronier), Paris - [Benjamin Vulliamy](/source/Benjamin_Vulliamy), United Kingdom - [Charles Cabrier II](/source/Charles_Cabrier_II), England - [Christiaan Huygens](/source/Christiaan_Huygens), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands) - [David Hare](/source/David_Hare_(philanthropist)), Scottish philanthropist and pioneer of modern European Education in India - [David Rittenhouse](/source/David_Rittenhouse), United States - [Eli Terry](/source/Eli_Terry), United States - [Eugène Farcot](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Farcot), France - [Ferdinand Berthoud](/source/Ferdinand_Berthoud), France and Switzerland - [Franz Ketterer](/source/Franz_Ketterer), Germany - G Bernard Ramsdale, United Kingdom - [George Graham](/source/George_Graham_(clockmaker)), United Kingdom - [Giovanni de Dondi](/source/Giovanni_de_Dondi), Italy - [Hans Düringer](/source/Hans_D%C3%BCringer), Germany - [Humbertus Gallet](/source/Gallet_%26_Company), Switzerland - [J. B. Joyce & Company](/source/JB_Joyce_%26_Co), United Kingdom - [James Ivory](/source/James_Ivory_(clockmaker)), United Kingdom - [Jean-Antoine Lépine](/source/Jean-Antoine_L%C3%A9pine), Franc - [Jens Olsen](/source/Jens_Olsen_(clockmaker)), Denmark - [Johann Andreas Klindworth](/source/Johann_Andreas_Klindworth), Germany - [Johann Baptist Beha](/source/Johann_Baptist_Beha), Germany - [John Alker](/source/John_Alker), United Kingdom - [John Arnold](/source/John_Arnold_(watchmaker)), United Kingdom - [John Ellicott](/source/John_Ellicott_(clockmaker)), United Kingdom - [John Harrison](/source/John_Harrison), United Kingdom - [John Tolson](/source/John_Tolson_(clockmaker)), United Kingdom - [John Whitehurst](/source/John_Whitehurst), United Kingdom - [Joost Bürgi](/source/Joost_B%C3%BCrgi), Switzerland - [Joseph Knibb](/source/Joseph_Knibb), United Kingdom - [Konstantin Chaykin](/source/Konstantin_Chaykin), Russia - [Lazar the Hilandarian](/source/Lazar_the_Hilandarian), late 14th- and early 15th-century [Serbia](/source/Serbia) and Russia - [Martin Burgess](/source/Martin_Burgess), United Kingdom - [Michelangelo Sapiano](/source/Michelangelo_Sapiano), Malta - [Mikulas of Kadan](/source/Mikulas_of_Kadan) - [Peter Henlein](/source/Peter_Henlein), Germany - [Peter Hill](/source/Peter_Hill_(clockmaker)) (1767-1820), African-American clockmaker.[10] - [Pierre Le Roy](/source/Pierre_Le_Roy), France - [Rasmus Sørnes](/source/Rasmus_S%C3%B8rnes), Norway - [Richard Donisthorp](/source/Richard_Donisthorp), United Kingdom - [Richard of Wallingford](/source/Richard_of_Wallingford), United Kingdom - [Salomon Coster](/source/Salomon_Coster), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands) - [Sigmund Riefler](/source/Sigmund_Riefler), Germany - [Simon Willard](/source/Simon_Willard), United States - [Smith of Derby Group](/source/Smith_of_Derby_Group), United Kingdom - [Su Song](/source/Su_Song), China - [Thomas Tompion](/source/Thomas_Tompion), United Kingdom - [Thwaites & Reed](/source/Thwaites_%26_Reed), United Kingdom - [Tim Hunkin](/source/Tim_Hunkin) (made the London Zoo Clock and the [Southwold](/source/Southwold_Pier) Water Clock) United Kingdom[11] - [Timothy Mason](/source/Timothy_Mason_(clockmaker)), United Kingdom - [William Potts & Sons](/source/Potts_of_Leeds), United Kingdom ## Clockmaking organizations - [AWCI](/source/AWCI) - [British Horological Institute](/source/British_Horological_Institute) - [Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH](/source/Federation_of_the_Swiss_Watch_Industry_FH) - [Petrodvorets watch factory](/source/Petrodvorets_Watch_Factory) - [Worshipful Company of Clockmakers](/source/Worshipful_Company_of_Clockmakers) ## See also - [Chronometer watch](/source/Chronometer_watch) - [Clockkeeper](/source/Clockkeeper) - [Horology](/source/Horology) - [List of clock manufacturers](/source/List_of_clock_manufacturers) - [Marine chronometer](/source/Marine_chronometer) - [National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors](/source/National_Association_of_Watch_and_Clock_Collectors) - [Timepiece](/source/Timepiece) - [Watchmaker](/source/Watchmaker) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Clock"](http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/clocks-c.shtml). *Encyclopedia of Antiques*. Old and Sold Antique Marketplace. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShull196365_2-0)** [Shull 1963](#CITEREFShull1963), p. 65. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Mones_3-0)** Mones, Richard Ann; George White (2012). ["Worshipful Company of Clockmakers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063746/http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm?request=437). *Antiques and Fine Art magazine*. antiquesandfineart.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm?request=437) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["England: Where watchmaking all began"](http://www.watchpro.com/england-where-watchmaking-all-began/). Watchpro. 15 January 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200919024701/https://www.watchpro.com/england-where-watchmaking-all-began/) from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDavies1996435_5-0)** [Davies 1996](#CITEREFDavies1996), p. 435. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Metc_6-0)** Carla, Ojha (2002). ["Tools of the Clockmaker"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120814134201/http://www.metc.org/clktools.htm). *Highlights of Past Exhibits*. Museum of Early Trades and Crafts website. Archived from [the original](http://www.metc.org/clktools.htm) on August 14, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Clockmaker"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160139/). 18 August 1998. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190612131204/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160139/) from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2018 – via IMDb. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["William Paley, 1743-1805 | National Center for Science Education"](https://web.archive.org/web/20260213220044/https://ncse.ngo/william-paley-1743-1805). *ncse.ngo*. Archived from [the original](https://ncse.ngo/william-paley-1743-1805) on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-05-22. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Greeting cards and posters by illustrator Tony Troy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200308120713/http://www.tonytroyillustrations.com/catalog/i2.html). *www.tonytroyillustrations.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.tonytroyillustrations.com/catalog/i2.html) on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-:2_10-0)** Smith, Jessie Carney (2003). [*Black Firsts : 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events*](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578591428/page/n1/mode/2up) (2nd, revised and expanded ed.). Canton, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. pp. 591–592. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-57859-142-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-57859-142-2). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [51060259](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/51060259) – via Internet Archive. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["tim hunkin home page"](http://timhunkin.com/). *timhunkin.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130701040355/http://www.timhunkin.com/) from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-07-04. ## Sources - Davies, Norman (1996). [*Europe: A History*](https://archive.org/details/europehistory00davi_0). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-01982-0-171-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-01982-0-171-7). - Shull, Thelma (1963). *Victorian Antiques*. Rutland, Vermont: C. E. Tuttle Co. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1079787454](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1079787454). ## External links Media related to [Clockmakers](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Clockmakers) at Wikimedia Commons - [American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute](https://web.archive.org/web/20081206073419/http://www.awci.com/) - [National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors](http://www.nawcc.org/) - [The British Horological Institute](http://www.bhi.co.uk) v t e Jewellery Forms Anklet Barrette Belly chain Belt buckle Bindi Bolo tie Bracelet Brooch Chain Chatelaine Collar pin Crown Cufflink Earring Ferronnière Lapel pin Necklace Neck ring Pectoral Pendant Permanent jewellery Ring Tiara Tie chain Tie clip Tie pin Toe ring Watch pocket strap Making People Bench jeweler Clockmaker Goldsmith Jewellery designer Lapidarist Silversmith Watchmaker Processes Carving Casting centrifugal lost-wax vacuum Enameling Engraving Filigree Foldforming Jewelry model Metal clay Plating Polishing Repoussé and chasing Soldering Stonesetting Wire sculpture Wire wrapped jewelry Tools Draw plate File Hammer Mandrel Pliers Materials Precious metals Gold Palladium Platinum Rhodium Silver Precious metal alloys Britannia silver Colored gold Crown gold Electrum Shakudō Shibuichi Sterling silver Argentium Tumbaga Base metals Brass Bronze Copper Mokume-gane Nickel silver (alpacca): Niobium Pewter Pinchbeck Stainless steel Titanium Tungsten Mineral gemstones Agate Amazonite Amethyst Aventurine Beryl (red) Carnelian Chrysoberyl Chrysocolla Citrine Diamond Diopside Emerald Fluorite Garnet Howlite Jade Jasper Kyanite Labradorite Lapis lazuli Larimar Malachite Marcasite Moonstone Obsidian Onyx Opal Peridot Prasiolite Quartz (smoky) Ruby Sapphire Sodalite Spinel Sunstone Tanzanite Tiger's eye Topaz Tourmaline Turquoise Variscite Zircon Organic gemstones Abalone Amber Ammolite Copal Coral Black Precious Ivory Jet Nacre Operculum Pearl Tortoiseshell Other natural objects Bezoar Bog-wood Ebonite (vulcanite) Gutta-percha Hair Shell Spondylus shell Toadstone Terms Art jewelry Carat (mass) Carat (purity) Finding Fineness Related topics Body piercing jewelry Fashion Gemology Metalworking Phaleristics Wearable art --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Clockmaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clockmaker) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clockmaker?action=history)). 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