About

 

Compiled by renowned Tasmanian horologist Graham Mulligan and researcher and historian Sallie Mulligan, Hands of Time, is a comprehensive directory of clockmakers and watchmakers in lutruwita / Tasmania (formerly Van Diemen’s Land). The project, which is the first publication recording the horological industry in the State, details historical information about 650+ Tasmanian clockmakers and watchmakers. Data has been sourced over 30+ years from books, industry journals, directories, websites, newspapers (Trove / National Library of Australia), Clockwise archives, Tasmanian Archives, Founders and Survivors, Watch and Clockmakers of Australia, descendants, and many other contacts.

The index includes:

• Associated trades.
• Convicts who identified as clock and watchmakers but did not necessarily work in their field.
• Convicts who appear to have learned a new profession.
• Widows continuing family businesses.

Hand of Time is updated regularly as new information becomes available. Listings are current at the time of publication, and new facts, feedback or suggestions are welcome. The website launch in December 2022 was part of the 30th birthday celebrations of Launceston’s clock and watchmaking business, Clockwise.

 

• Graham Mulligan has over 30 years of experience in the clock and watchmaking industry. His passion for horological history has seen him accumulate vast amounts of information, photos, documents, and timepieces relating to the industry in lutruwita / Tasmania. His collections formed the beginning of the Hands of Time project. Graham has authored several articles, including one for the British Horological Journal (BHJ) and the clock section for The Antiques and Collectables Fact Finder, Volume Two. He made a guest appearance on the ABC Collector’s Program in November 2005 and is recognised by Watch and Clock Makers of Australia (WCA), the British Horological Institute (BHI), and the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC).
• Sallie Mulligan is a sixth-generation Tasmanian whose keen interest in history began at a young age. She has been co-owner of Clockwise for 30 years, gaining insight into the clock and watchmaking industry. Her genealogy passion and skills gained in a Diploma of Family History from the University of Tasmania have equipped her to undertake this project. A short story by Sallie was published by the Convict Women’s Press in 2018 in Convict Lives at the Cascades Female Factory, Volume 2.