The Brief
- Boyd Clocks in Tampa is actively preserving the hands-on craft of mechanical clock repair in an increasingly digital world.
- Two young apprentices are learning the specialized trade as experienced clockmakers across the country retire or die.
- The family-owned local business restores thousands of antique timepieces each year, preserving important generational family heirlooms.
TAMPA, Fla. – Inside Boyd Clocks, time still ticks, chimes and depends on a skilled human touch.
Tampa clockmaker restoration craft
The backstory:
Owner David Boyd is a horologist who repairs and restores mechanical clocks. The Tampa shop works on thousands of timepieces each year, many of them family heirlooms that have been passed down for generations.
“The number one reason that someone gets a clock restored is because it’s been in their family. It has sentimental value,” Boyd said.
The business is also part of Boyd’s own family history. His father contracted polio at 19, used a wheelchair and built a career and business around clocks. Boyd began helping him on service calls as a child and now continues the work to preserve his father’s legacy.
Sentimental heirloom values
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