Time

In the late 1940's, my grandfather was working as an admiralty lawyer in New York City. He won an important and complicated case, and was rewarded for his efforts by being presented with this wonderful brass ship's clock by the firm's partners.

It is made by the Chelsea Clock Company of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Eight bells ring out at 4, 8, and 12 o'clock to mark the end of a mariner's four-hour watch, with one bell the first half-hour after, plus one additional bell with each subsequent half-hour. So, for example, when the minute hand in this photo reaches the 7:30 mark, seven bells will chime.

My father inherited the clock when his father died, and as a child I learned to tell time with it. The clock passed on to me at my father's death. It still marks the hours and half-hours of my life faithfully.