“The history of how humans kept track of the time of day, and night, is a fascinating story. From the first sundials of ancient Egypt over 5,000 years ago, through sand glass clocks, water clocks, and candles, to the first mechanical clocks of the 1500s, and then to the rise of Switzerland, Paris and Great Britain as the great watch and clock making centres of the 1700s and 1800s. The industrial revolution in Britain during the 18th and early
19th Centuries saw society turned upside down, as much as the Internet, Social Media, and AI developments of the 21st Century are doing today. Social disruption inevitably led many to break the laws of the time, either through necessity, or simply because they could. And many who did this were subsequently transported to Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales. Among those transported were a very large number of watch and clock makers. Undoubtedly, these people developed a heightened sense of time passing as they counted the days, months, and years of their sentences. But, with time, there were also many free settler watch and clock makers who came to Van Diemen’s Land.
The Hands of Time web site, developed and maintained by Graham and Sallie Mulligan, is an excellent record of the watch and clock makers of Tasmania, and an invaluable resource for those who have an interest in both the mechanical side of horology, and the stories of those who made the fascinatingly intricate mechanisms that help us, and our ancestors, to keep track of time every day.”
Dr Douglas Wilkie, Historia Incognita, May 2023.
———————————————————————————————-
“Many thanks for your Hands of Time website. It has been extremely useful in researching my German made 1913 Jahresuhrenfabrik 400 day/anniversary clock that is branded “L Vaughan, Launceston” clockmaker’s name. I now understand the branding to be a reference to Lucy Vaughan, who took over her deceased husband, Frederick Vaughan’s business after his death in 1907. She continued to run the business until its sale in 1920. Knowing the history of the retailer who sold and presumably serviced such wonderful timepieces gives them a tangible human connection. Your website’s information was the important starting point for my research process. Again, many thanks.”
Danny Bricknell,
Member, Chapter 72 Sydney (Australia),
National Association of Watch and Clocks Collectors (USA), February 2024.
———————————————————————————————-
“Insight Design Studio embarked on the exciting task of constructing the Hands of Time website, harnessing an extensive array of historical data about the evolution of time-keeping.
The Hands of Time website, maintained by Graham and Sallie Mulligan, offers a comprehensive account of these Tasmanian watch and clock makers. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in horology’s mechanical aspects and the compelling narratives of those craftsmen who pioneered the intricate mechanisms.”
Will Hoffman, Insight Design Studio.