We are entering the year 2024, and so it has been through more than 4000 cycles of the Earth's rotation through the Sun. Man follows his transit through the 12 months; but it has a common denominator: Time; and the instrument that best records and measures his steps is the clock.
I wanted to start this new year, sharing in this beautiful community, part of my collection of antique watches. I am not referring to wristwatches, but to wall clocks or clocks to wear on a table; which are living totems that beat through time, because of their precision mechanical movement.
I have always been attracted to them and since my childhood they have been part of my family tree. They are instruments that treasure a very ancient history, and where man has captured all his ingenuity, his knowledge in the movements of mechanics, and his creativity to give us the most unusual designs, carved in various materials, the most sought after being those made of wood.
The watch that was my grandfather's, is this Ansonia, made in New York. A legendary brand that started more than 150 years ago. He gave it to my dad before I was born.
In that same position, in the center of my living room, it has witnessed every stage and development of my family members.
We were very sad to see years ago, how a person cleaning the room opened the glass cover to remove dust, using a cloth sprayed with bleach. It removed some of the primer and the Roman numerals from its dial. But it is still there, telling the time, swinging its pendulum and emitting that loud sound to remind us of the great personality of my grandfather Antonio.
This other clock, but a table clock, a model known as Chimney, was created by the company of the American watchmaker Seth Thomas. The same company that created the clock of the Grand Central Terminal in New York.
I love its sound so musical and refined. Its front has a round glass top, which opens to move its hands and bring it to life through its three strings.
The watches are made up of two main parts, its machinery, also called caliber and its external part or case, where the designs that the creator puts on it are carved.
The German watches of the brand Junghans Württemberg, were sold in my country before 1959. Today they continue to show their beauty, their great construction and durability in the homes of many Cubans.
This other small Junghans is known as a Carriage Klok model. Made of nickel-plated copper, and with its crystal sides that let you see its machinery in action, in the style of the best Cuban danzón.
Another Ansonia, reminds us of the time in another area of our house, keeping the detail of its tips and its curves very attractive.
Sometimes, we do not set all the clocks to work, because the musical repertoire formed by the sound of all of them together wakes us up at night.
This model you will see below, with a ceramic dial, has a cleanly structured case with harmonic curves. It sounds with a very musical mid-tone and is one of my favorites.
For the end I left my two cuckoo watches. They are the same, that's why I'll put only one picture.
Its triangular shape with vertex upwards, gives that aspect of the figure that represents the human spiritual part in its ascent towards its original source or divinity.
This model was made in USSR. Every half hour the little round door opens, and the little bird or cuckoo comes out to sing.
The name of these clocks is due precisely to the cuckoo sound. This one uses a one-day machinery, so we must climb their iron weights that hang from thin metal chains.
There are many collectors for these clocks, and they exhibit many designs and sizes. There are houses in Europe that on their front, have a large cuckoo clock. In Germany, USA and Argentina we find cuckoos that have won awards for being the largest cuckoo clocks in the world.
Friends, I could not finish my post, without you seeing a part of them of great importance, and that is their keys to the rope. They are so varied in their form that they themselves become collector's items.
They make many watches give us the movement of their hands indicating the time, the rhythmic swinging of their pendulums, their ticking, and the music that each one can give us.
In the end everything is vibration, everything is music, and a watch never escapes this universal truth.
Thanks to those who read me. Happy 2024 to the entire #Hive family.
Own photos. Camera: Panasonic Lumix model DMC-ZS100
Text divider. Free use from @eve66
Text by Andrés Brunet
Thank you for reading
Welcome your comments
Infinite greetings!