Clockwise: Graham and Sallie Mulligan debut Hands of Time

One of Tasmania’s foremost horologists – a timepiece expert – and his historian wife have debuted a remarkable history project, an index of our state’s watch and clockmakers back to the 1800s.

Clockwise horologist Graham Mulligan.

An “astonishing” discovery in 1859 that Hobart and Launceston time was 16 minutes apart. A Devonport watchmaking apprentice who died on the Western Front, aged just 20. An English clockmaker transported to Van Diemen’s Land in 1849 for burglary and stealing a silver snuff box.

These are just a small selection of the hundreds of bizarre, fascinating and at times sad stories contained within ‘Hands of Time: The Index of Clock & Watchmakers in Tasmania’, a remarkable history project, available for free online, by husband-and-wife duo Graham and Sallie Mulligan.

The pair unveiled the project to celebrate 30 years in business together – in 1992, they opened South Launceston’s Clockwise, a retailer and repairer of all things time which, for the past decade, has been entrusted with the care and maintenance of the Launceston Town Clock.

Sallie and Graham Mulligan, the duo behind Hands of Time: The Index of Clock & Watchmakers in Tasmania, with a clock manufactured by Launceston's Richard John Darcey (1870-1944). Picture: Alex Treacy

Graham – Clockwise’s horologist (repairer and maker of timepieces) – said, while he compiled the list of names, it was Sallie, a talented historian, who spent 12 months buried in archives to make the project a reality.

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And, just like time, the index is set to keep marching.

“There’s lots more we can add. Even since it went out we’ve had a few people contact us, they’ve got a picture of this clock or their grandfather is in it and they’ve got a photo,” Graham said.

Hands of Time contains some fascinating nuggets. A highlight is a recovered diary entry for English-born Alfred Abbott, a watchmaker with a workshop at 74 Murray St, Hobart.

On August 31, 1859, he recorded: “We were rather astonished today by being informed that the Hobart Town Time was 16 or 17 minutes fast of Launceston Time.

Alfred Abbott, a Hobart watchmaker, depicted in 1859. Picture: Hands of Time/ Glenn Abbott

“Mr Riva... proposed to us the Hobart Time should be put back eight minutes and the Launceston time be put forward the same extent, so that we may agree with each other and in his opinion agreed with Mean Time.

“We of course differed with him and recommended him to regulate Launceston Time by St. David’s.”

Graham’s fascination with clocks began with Sallie’s father.

“My father-in-law had three mechanical clocks he cherished, wound weekly, and were an essential part of his life,” Graham records on the Hands of Time blog.

“He was blind, so he relied on the clocks striking the hours and often opened the glass door to feel the position of the hands to ascertain the time.

William Clemo, an English watchmaker transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1849 for 10 years for burglary and stealing a silver snuff box. Picture: Hands of Time/ QVMAG

“It made me think of times past, even before electrical power to the home, and the importance of clocks and timepieces in our lives.”

The past is a powerful component of Clockwise’s day-to-day operations, Graham said.

“I still use tools that are 150 years, 200 years old. I’ve got screw plates which cut threads, they’re at least a couple hundreds years old. I still use them to cut threads if I’m making a screw that’s missing for a clock,” he said.