I’m told that in about the 1960’s these Zaanse clocks were in almost every Dutch household and I think this example comes from about that time. The movement is weight driven, and you wind the clock simply by lifting the brass weights – there’s no winding post. The clock strikes the hour and there’s a ‘passing strike’ at the half-hour. This one is silent only because I’ve moved the bell, which sits on the top of the clock. There’s a motto on the clock, which reads “Nu elck syn sin” (To each his own), and the figure holding the heavens is Atlas.
When I bought this clock, the shaft that holds the pallets was broken. Luckily, there’s a Dutch specialist, who provides spare parts from similar, broken clocks.
I like this clock – it’s sort of fancy, yet is pretty straightforward to own. The only issue I have with it is that to adjust the pendulum length (i.e. to regulate the clock) you need to take the clock off the wall. Tedious.
