About the ClockMaker

Mark Pellmann, The ClockMaker at Gwathmey is known by many in the Central Virginia area who have had one or more clocks repaired or restored since he began working as a Master Clockmaker in November of 1982. Prior to coming to Virginia, Mark had his own repair shop in a small town in western Pennsylvania. The ClockMaker at Gwathmey in Ashland, Virginia (approximately 15 miles north of Richmond) is Mark's personalized clock repair and restoration shop.

Mark graduated from Bowman Technical School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1980 with diplomas for Watchmaking and Repair, Hand Engraving, and Clockmaking and Repair. In May 1982 he earned the title of Certified Master Clockmaker (CMC) from the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI). In order to qualify for the title of CMC, a clockmaker must pass both written and practical exams, as well as prove his ability through a series of practical tests involving the restoration of a Westminster chime clock and making a working replacement escapement for a clock.

While at Bowman Technical School, Mark spent months making a precision regulator clock mechanism. This involved making the plates, pillars, and screws; cutting gears and pinions to fit; making the barrel, ratchets, springs, hands, bracket, and invar temperature compensated pendulum; and drawing and then making the escapement. In short, making an entire clock using steel stock, brass stock and rough brass castings. All this went into making a mechanical clock accurate to better than two seconds a month.