Where did the clock come from? How old is it?
I would like to know.
My Vienna wall-clock, bought broken at the Naschmarkt flea market in Vienna in 1985, was the inspiration for my #ViennaMemories blogs. I treasure it because:
- It is old. I do not know its date, but surmise the 1950s. I would welcome expert views;
- It looks Austrian, with pleasing hints of Jugendstil design – although again, I am not sure;
- Like other things bought in the Naschmarkt, I invested much time and effort back in 1985 to get the clock working. Originally, it had an electric mechanism with a frayed and brittle cable. I took it to a clock factory in Vienna who told me that the mechanism could not be repaired. But they installed a quartz mechanism for 50 schillings which has been working ever since;
- The clock frame is delicate. Every time I move house (since 1985, Vienna-London-Moscow-London-Bonn-Berlin-Sevenoaks-Kyiv-Istanbul-Vienna) I worry that the delicate glass cover will be smashed. Likewise when, twice a year, I take it down to adjust to winter and summer time. Long may it survive.
- It is useful and an aesthetic gem.
Plus, every time I look at it, the clock reminds me of my long association with Austria’s beautiful capital. On one calculation, since I acquired it, the hands of the clock have shown every possible time around 24,000 times.
Tempus fugit, indeed.