The "So What Time Is It?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Driving past what at one time was the Hamilton Watch Company which was located at 917 Columbia Ave. in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  My mother worked at Hamilton Watch for a few years before leaving to raise her family, of which I am a member!  You probably guessed that...didn't you?  Well, Hamilton Watch closed their doors several years ago and the building sat empty for some time.  Now, it has been made into what is known as the Clock Tower condos.  The Clock Tower Condominium complex now consists of 135 units on 14 acres that at one time was the headquarters of Hamilton Watch which was founded in Lancaster in 1892.  At one time there were more than 2,000 workers at the watch making plant.  But, in 1974, Hamilton was sold to what is now The Swatch Group, and the company shrank local production until it stopped assembling any watches in Lancaster in 1992.  The new condominium complex was completed in 1999.  But...the hugh clocks that still stand atop the two 90 foot towers have become unreliable.  The hour hand of the west clock tower turns only sporadically.  The east tower's four clock faces are close to the correct time, but you wouldn't want to set your watches by them!  

The East Clock Tower

The clocks are run on a system that was great for the 1940s and 1950s, but now the clocks don't always display accurate time.  But, thanks to some recent timing, there is renewed interest to make the clocks run on time!  A $100,000 fundraising effort was recently jump-started with a $25,000 donation from Hamilton, the now Swiss-owned watchmaker that recently opened the downtown building that at one time was Bowman Watch and Technical School.  Perhaps you recently read my story about my visit to the store where my father went to learn the art of watch making and repair.  Hamilton Watch always took great pride in their watches and the correct time...so having a few Hugh clocks that don't yield the correct time for all in Lancaster to see when they drive buy the watch towers, they are going to fix them!  But, since it takes more than a new battery placed in the tower, it's going to be a bit pricey!  It will take approximately $50,000 to restore the clocks so that those in the condominiums, as well as all who drive past the location on Columbia Ave., will be able to set their watches to the correct time.  As far as the two existing clock towers, the East tower was constructed in 1874 by the former factory's original owner, Adams & Perry Watch Co. 

Looking at the inside of the East clock tower.

The East Tower was rebuilt in 1910 when Hamilton Watch took over and than also added the West Tower.  Each tower has four clock faces that are connected to a central motor by long shafts.  The faces of the East clocks are 6 feet in diameter, while the West  clocks faces are 7 feet in diameter/.  Originally the clocks were powered by a pendulum system.  Hamilton, which pioneered the electric watch, replaced the old mechanism in the 1950s with one powered by a small, electric motor.  Hey...I could have guessed that!  Today, most of the faces on both clocks show a slightly different time.  Great if you want to pick the time best for you, but for accuracy, they need to be the absolute correct time on each face.  They said that part of the problem is that the gearing is loose after all these years.  When the wind blows you can actually see the hands moving.  To make the repairs, many of the parts will be remade by Electric Time and then shipped back to Lancaster where watchmaker Brent L. Miller will oversee their installation.  The new parts will include new versions of the Wooden clock hands, one of which has already fallen off.  And, to top that off...the refurbished clocks will be connected to satellite, meaning it won't need to be reset if the power goes off since it well be able to sync to the correct time when electricity is restored.  The time change for daylight saving time also will be automatic.  We will see...won't we!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.