The St.Petersburg Centre of Watch & Clock Restoration

The Unique Clock Workshop

This clock was made in the XVIII century, and this one was made only half a year ago. The «Telecourier» is not at a clock museum, but at a clock workshop. But this is a unique workshop, the only one in Russia: it is only here where they can make out of a brass form a miracle like this.

Konstantin Chaykin, the clockmaker:
– At the moment I am working on a complicated astronomic clock, equipped with a turbillon. There are different devices inserted in it: an eternal calendar, the indicator of the Moon phases, of weekdays, dates and months. You don’t need to fix the clock calendar every month, it switches from 31 to 30-days months automatically. Besides, there we use in the clock my own device – the indicator of Orthodox holidays dates, there are no counterparts of it in the world.

Creation of clocks is not the priority for the workshop. They deal with restoration here. Here is, for example, a corset clock of the XVIII century. Now we are going to check if it has kept the precision of operation up to our days. The procedure resembles that of a clinic’s check-up. The clock is installed in a special instrument. One can here the thump of the “heart”, and even a diagram is displayed on a special screen. It looks as if the “patient” is alive and kicking.

«Telecourier»:
– Konstantin Yurievich, could you tell us what your relationships with time are?
Konstantin Chaykin, the clockmaker:
– I am a very punctual man, I just cannot afford to be late somewhere. I have got a philosophic attitude to time. Time is the source of life.
«Telecourier»:
– Can you associate yourself with any kind of clock?
Konstantin Chaykin, the clockmaker:
– Speaking of this I‘d mention the complexity of a clock mechanism. I am not very interested in an ordinary clock that shows only hours and minutes.

So, it took Konstantin Chaykin nine month to create this clock. And now just before our eyes the small mechanic “heart” is going to start beating The only thing is left-the clock need winding up. After this the clock will operate eternally. At least the calendar installed in it is to work up to the year of 9999.
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Helen Metelitza
«Telecourier» of TRC “Petersburg”
17 September 2005

The St.Petersburg Watch&Clock Atelier
The Centre of Watch&Clock Restoration
off. 36, Malodetskoselskiy pr.
St.Petersburg, 190013, Russia
phones: +7 (812) 703-17-56
+7 (812) 316-56-39
+7 (812) 911-02-71
mail@clockmaker.ru