An Amsterdam longacse clock. The clock that was manufactured in 1750. The clock that was partly destroyed in 1953 by the Great Flood disaster. The clock that has now been restored after almost two years for more than twenty thousand euros and has a value of eighty thousand euros. There it is then looking beautiful at the timepiece maker Frank van Nuus on the Zuid-Willemsvaart.

The owner inherited the antique timepiece from her aunt. She had no idea how much it was worth. But after some advice, she decided to have the clock restored. Frank van Nuus takes me into the world of antique timepieces. A man with passion for his work.

Full of devotion he tells how ‘very proud’ he is of the restored timepiece. “It is a unique clock. It is wonderful that we can restore something like this.” Every detail is discussed. Van Nuus slides a ladder towards me. I am too small to look at the clock properly and it is of course a shame to miss the beautiful mini artwork. It is an impressive ancient building. Greek gods, such as Zeus, Hera, Rhea and Orpheus, are painted in minute detail on the dial. The dial is partly in gilded gold and shows not only the time, but also the date, the day and the phase of the moon. On top of the clock is the God Atlas with the universe on his shoulders, angels next to him.

“It is quite a job to restore this clock. For example, you cannot just buy the types of wood for it. In this case, the wood was from ancient trees. But they cannot just be cut down and they are no longer to be found everywhere. So it takes a lot of time,” says van Nuus. But the owner was pleasantly surprised. She therefore has no intention of ever selling the Amsterdam longcase clock. And van Nuus? His job is done. It’s a bit painful. “Yes, of course you have delivered a beautiful piece of work. We really enjoy it very much. So I wouldn’t mind if it stayed there for another year,” says the proud watchmaker.

Brabants Dagblad 11 december 2008 – Erwtenman