We're in here every morning between 9 and 10 winding the clocks, and if the clock needs
a dust then we'll be up here with a brush doing what I'm doing now.
Death here strikes the hours, these chaps here strike the quarters.
They turn round and each one strikes a different quarter
and it all works for a nice display.
How's it going?
Hello David.
Yes, like clockwork.
Like clockwork, I'm glad to hear it!
Still having problems with the quarter train?
I was just checking that and it seems to be free now and it's going all right.
Good.
And the angels behaving themselves?
Yes, just wobbling like they normally do but...
Brilliant!
that's not doing them any harm.
Well in 1589 you certainly wouldn't buy a clock like this just to tell the time.
It is undoubtedly a demonstration of wealth.
This is a sort of Rolls-Royce level of clocks.
Imagine you come to my palace and I've just bought this from Isaac Habrecht in Strasbourg
in 1589.
You're going to look at this clock and say "Wow!
Where did you get that?
What does it do?
Let's have a performance."
And I'm going to take great delight in showing it to you and demonstrating not only my knowledge
of what it does but also the fineness of it.
The skills of the engraver in the decorated panels on the clock.
The skill of the clock maker himself; who put together this wonderful machine, which
does so much.
On the hour the figure of death strikes on the bell to remind you that you've got another
hour nearer to meeting your maker.
He plays a piece written in 1539 known as the Vater Unser, which was a setting that
Martin Luther wrote for the words of the Lord's Prayer.
I think it's very interesting that such a beautiful, very expensive object should take
a tune of Luther's
because this shouts reformation at you.
It is a mark of the fact that the reformation had overtaken Germany and now a great city
like Strasbourg was a Lutheran city.
The reformation started of course as a rebellion, a great revolt against the past which tore
Europe apart.
But by the time this clock was made in the 1580's Lutheranism had arrived.
It was the mainstream religion of Germany now, and so the music of Lutheranism was also
very much mainstream.
It has a weekly indication showing the days of the week.
It has an annual calendar.
It has a quarter striking, it strikes the hours and it plays music.
This clock is saying "I'm a man of culture, I'm a man who is interested in the cosmos."
It's also just fun I think.
The sheer intricacy of it.
It's a bit like a very expensive, executive toy.