Hopkins Repair Job Continues One Clock’s Global Story

On Friday, a German clock—packed in a Connecticut-made box and padded by Chinese sports pages—arrived in Hopkins from Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong.

Hamburg-based clockmaker Kienzle manufactured the clock in the 1910s or 1920s. It’s a classic but, with a value of $100 or so, not particularly pricy.

“Just a typical German clock,” said Mark Purdy, owner of , which has nearly identical clocks standing in its storefront. “There’s nothing special or different about this one.”

Yet the clock is a reminder of how connected to the rest of the world Hopkins’ downtown is—and the stories downtown products carry with them as they cross borders.

The most recent chapter of this clock’s tale began when a 31-year-old Hong Kong man named Ambrose Leung ordered the timepiece from the Netherlands.

Leung owns LAB - Designer Items Collector, a small store in a Hong Kong industrial building that sells vintage items. Because vintage items are hard to find in Hong Kong, he searches for products from European buyers.

“I believe life is a story, and I love to share the story with my customers,” Leung told Patch via e-mail. “I think (this) clock is a very special item because it tells us about time and time bring us history. History gives us stories. Although I don't know the details about this clock, I love to imagine about that.”

Because the clock was broken, Leung started scouring the Internet for someone who could repair it. He contacted Purdy after finding Blackstone Manor’s website.

“Repairing clocks is a long time, comparatively low profit work, so no one is doing this in Hong Kong or it is extremely expensive,” he explained to Purdy, adding. “Hong Kong is a city only focused on money (like those big cities in the world).” 

Leung and Purdy exchanged e-mails—the Hopkins clock repairman marveling at the global connections, the Hong Kong store owner describing his love of vintage items. Leung soon shipped the clock, and a few days later it arrived in Hopkins.

The century-old timepiece is in need of much repair.  It has a broken main spring and worn pivot holes. But in a couple weeks, Purdy will have it tick-tocking again. He’ll box the clock up and ship it back to Hong Kong, where it will continue marking the passage of time.

“Now, this vintage clock's story can be continuous,” Leung said. “Maybe I don't know about its past, but I can keep writing it from now.”

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