CLOCKWORK
Visitors to my house, if they are observant enough, would find several wall clocks and time pieces in the place.
Wall
clocks being useful; have been put up in every room just to use them. One can
just glance up to see the time without the trouble of turning your head or getting
up. I find them useful. Some have been put up in the bathrooms, where you can
time your singing skills.
The
table time pieces were in use on the children’s study table, but with their
going away there is only my desk top table to put up a time piece. The others
are therefore in storage.
A
valid question can be asked here as to why so many wall clocks etc have come
into this house ? Well the answer is simple enough. With birthdays and
anniversary, relatives and friends gifted us these items. Wall clocks are
economical, make a large packet when gift wrapped and are useful too – so the
gift giver thinks. This thinking is one of the reasons of increased sale of
wall clocks in the market. But it still ranks at number 2 place; number 1 is
the bedcover in gifting items. Bedcovers make an even larger gift pack. But I
digress, coming back to wall clocks.
I
remember buying only one wall clock when I set up hose after marriage.
So
far so good, but these simple looking wall clocks create a problem unique only
to them.
The
foremost is showing the time. ALL the clocks show different time which can be
ahead by more than 10 minutes or slow by upto10 minutes. I have on several occasions
set all of them to the correct time in one go, but they fall back into their
old pace within few days, so have given up. All of them are battery operated, quartz
movement but different speeds, resulting in them getting fast or slow. Maybe
the quartz of China is to blame.
The
second is battery usage. Every few weeks, a clock stops working as its dry cell
has ended its life. This is a nuisance as a stopped clock is frowned upon by
the worthy wife so I have to take it down till a new battery is put in. I keep
some batteries in advance but they get used up fast.
Once
I changed the cells of all clocks with new ones at the same time, but it was of
no use as the clocks went dead at their staggered period. One fails to
understand why some use more battery power than others. Again the Chinese
movement to blame ?
Earlier
wall locks used to be mechanical driven with winding required once a week. They
had a small pin at the back marked + and – to the left and right to adjust the
clock if it was going fast or slow. No more. You have to bear with the
manufacturers settings. Also there was no recurring expense of batteries, you
bought a clock, wound it and it worked free for a lifetime.
Coming
to wrist watches, several of them no longer in use and are piled up in a small cardboard
box. I believe they being mainly Chinese, contributed to their early conking
out. Whatever were still working have been out of use several years ago, with
the advent of mobile phones. Some are used only as a dress accessory to look good
on the wrist.
Cell
problem has extended to wrist watches also. Earlier they were wound daily,
without going for a costly cell replacement regularly. I think this cell
business has been introduced to make manufacturing of mechanical items easier,
transferring the cost of running it to the customer.
I
have to date not found any solution to these problems. Do you have a solution ?
With cellphones & virtual assistants being visible almost all the time, wristwatches and clocks (including timepieces) have practically become obsolete. We can have them only as either souvenirs or collectibles. The cheap imported stuffs can be donated if in working order or consigned to the recycling/garbage bin.
ReplyDeleteThanks. This is what everyone is forced to do
DeleteVery interesting read! And it is amazing indeed that despite being set all together, the clocks go their own way after a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks. These clocks have their own way, but we can't do eithout them.
Deleteबहुत रुचिकर लेखन है।
ReplyDeleteआजकल चाहे cell/ battery हो या घडी, मोबाइल हो, सबकी यही समस्या है कि कुछ समय तक सबका performance बढिया रहेगा, फिर सब ठप्प ।
शायद इन सबकी shelf life कम ही रखी जाती है ताकि हमारी जेब हल्की होती रहे।
कुछ भी हो, समय तो अपने रफ्तार से ही चलेगा।है ना?
सही कहा, हम लोग इन manufacturers के षड्यंत्र के आगे कुछ भी नहीं कर सकते
DeleteLike human beings each wall clock , wrist watch and even alarm clock have different date of births hence need to have compatible cell to operate at specified speed of then existing mechanism . whereas, manufacturers have universal fit for all brands which leads to the problem.
ReplyDeleteMy wrist watch TITAN is over thirty years old whenever i replace an economic cell it functions erratically and for short duration. Titan dealer told me to replace with cell tested by Titan specifically made for this brand but at a cost for longer life. That version is perfectly giving service.
Even now manually winding wall clocks are functioning accurately. Here in Lucknow GPO ,PMG office and Picture Gallery Clock Tower are manually winding ones and even pride of London the oldest BIG BEN is functional.
New era Economists from global economic growth point of view have been advocating
'USE & THROW' concept which is gaining popularity with newer generation.
Same is true with cars.
Possession of antique articles give thrill to youngsters who are currently in look out for such
unique pieces.
Restore them please for these are worth as ' proud possessions '.
Thanks Sir. What you say is perfectly true. The use and throw culture benefits only the manufacturer and business world. If thigs last longer they get worried, hence the problem.
DeleteClocks and watches, they have an intricate and close relationship with our lives. They regulate us, remind us, alarm us, amuse us and even befriend us. They also are showpieces, on the walls or on the wrist.Maybe the mobile phones have clocks in them but the watch industry is going great guns and that shows the surging demand for watches.However, its another matter and maybe a 'Latte' can be devoted to that.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, clocks, be they the spring ones or quartz or some bloody chip based, they all ticks with our lives. And not surprisingly, all clocks, specially, find a useful place in tge households. There are never a dearth of walls for them.
Long live the clocks!
Yes, I partly revise my earlier post. Is the wristwatch obsolete? If we look at its basic utilitarian function – telling time – then perhaps yes. But they have been around since their creation, and will continue to live on. Perhaps with some transformation - like smartwatches which monitor body functions - heartrate, blood pressure, even sugar levels!
DeleteGrowth in watch sales is markedly pronounced in the luxury, expensive segments.
Thanks NML. what you say is true. The wrist watch industry is now revived, although the mobile brought about the death of several wrist watch manufacturers.
DeleteYour suggestion of a 'latte' on wrist watches is taken up and you would surely see it son.