The Wilmette Arts Guild is bringing this magnificent clock to Wilmette from Zacatlan, Mexico as a gift to the Wilmette Jr High School for the new science wing. Guild President, Julie Ressler says, " The Board and the membership are so thrilled to have the honor to facilitate the commission of this fine three dimensional work of art reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci's machines or the splendid European clocks we all enjoy abroad. The presence of all those gears, bells and huge moving hands will stimulate interest and discussion about the juncture of art and science, mechanics and time! The clock is from a small town in Mexico, so even the Spanish teachers and students will be involved.”
A pendulum swings, gears turn, and bells ring- all in full view as the Wilmette Clock displays its mechanical ingenuity for visitors. The nine-foot-tall clock, has a face more than three feet in diameter. All the parts are handmade.
The family company Relojes Olvera, III Generación (Olvera Clocks, 3rd Generation), whose mechanical clocks are found in town halls, churches and parks throughout Mexico and Central America, created the brass and steel design. It's the third Olvera clock of its type in the United States that is made to display the inner workings. The other clocks are at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and the World of Wonders in Lodi, California and now Wilmette!
This mechanical clock represents an appreciation of traditional craftsmanship that still thrives in rural Mexico. The small towns that look to install a new clock in their church or town hall tower overwhelmingly prefer the mechanical style, "Clients tell me they want a machine that their grandson can see," says Clemente Olvera, whose grandfather began the clock company early in the twentieth century.
The Wilmette Arts Guild is able to present this wonderful gift through the generosity of retired stockbroker, travel writer and longtime Mexico aficionado, Dick Davis.
"In Mexico I saw clocks in town halls, church towers, and landscaped floral displays, but no one had thought of the clock mechanism itself was a work of art, which it most certainly is!" Davis notes, "Monumental size is so inspiring to young minds of all ages!" Be sure to come see the Great Wilmette Clock on display until the Fall at the Wilmette Recreation Center before it moves to the Jr High School.
The Great Wilmette Clock