The ticking becomes part of you

George Schnellbach is Bez Valley’s ‘Master Watch and Clock Maker’. He is one of the few remaining qualified watch and clockmakers in Gauteng. “I am 70 years old and I am one of the youngest,” he says.

Clocks are brought to the shop for repair from different parts of the country, “I get old grandfather clocks from small towns where there is nobody to repair them…There is still a demand for antique clocks and pocket watches. Most clocks that come in are wall clocks and grandmother or grandfather clocks that have been handed down from generation to generation.”

George began his career as an apprentice to a Dutch watch/clock maker, Mr. De Vries, in Vanderbijlpark in 1957. He was 15. Both his parents had died when he and his older brother came to South Africa as refugees from Hungary.

“It was the first opportunity that knocked,” he says. “It was very difficult for me because I didn’t speak the language. “ After serving a five-year apprenticeship, George came to Johannesburg in 1960 and in 1965 opened his own workshop at the corner of Commissioner and Von Brandis Streets in the City Centre. “Johannesburg was a lovely place at that time. They were just busy building the Carlton Centre and Johannesburg was buzzing”.

Nine years later he went into partnership with a jewelry shop in Randburg and remained there for 21 years before selling his shares and starting the business at the corner of Kitchner Avenue and 1^st Street in Bez Valley 18 years ago.

He has observed the changes in Bez Valley with interest and obvious enjoyment. “In the early days there was a large Italian and Portuguese community. They slowly drifted out. Now we have a big community of Indian people and people from other countries in Africa. It is a big mixed pot… I have wonderful customers. All the smaller repairs are from the area. My bread butter line comes from the locals…”

Old clients have kept in contact for 30 years or more. They pop into the shop for tea or coffee and to socialise. “People came back year after year after year…. They are very glad that I am still around…“It’s all about relationships,” George says.

The sound of ticking, cuckoos, and chimes is a familiar background buzz. An extraordinarily rich assortment of clocks are brought in to the shop, repaired and taken away again by satisfied customers. George shows me an Australian, hand-painted grandfather clock from the early 1800s, a huge, square clock that was reconstructed from the remains of a clock that once hung in the Kensington Golf Club, an ancient cuckoo clock from Germany’s Black Forest; a clock from a British station or post office, and a French carriage clock. “Most of them are over 100 years old,” he says.

George grins when he describes his work. “It is not something you can get rich from but the beauty of it is that I can still come in every morning and sit here and enjoy my work.”

I ask him whether he has a favourite. “Every old thing is a favourite,” he says. “Once I achieve repairing a clock it becomes a favourite. It is a wonderful thing to give new life to something.”

An old customer and friend, Darral Kreusch arrives. Darral owns 40 clocks. I ask him what kind of clocks he collects. “Dutch clocks, Portuguese clocks, wall clocks, mantel clocks, Westminster clocks, any clock that ticks… as long as there’s no battery movement. That‘s not a clock to me. It’s a Chinese thing.”

I ask whether the sound of 40 clocks ticking doesn’t disturb his peace of mind.  “The ticking becomes part of you,” he says. 

Clock and Watch King, 43 Kitchner Avenue, Bez Valley (cnr 1^st Street). Tel. 011-614-1384.