Black history: Time is elastic at Smith Clock Co.

David Smith, clock restorer – Photo: Nancy Warner, warnerphoto.com by Tam Putnam Time takes on an elastic quality at Smith Clock Co. A calm ticking fills the shop, while grandfather clocks chime at random hours. For David Smith, clock restorer, time runs at various speeds: the stately historic time of the clocks, some from the 17th century; the efficient speed of his work as timepiece diagnostician; and the expansive pace of the raconteur who seems not to notice time’s passage. With every clock, he begins by determining provenance. “It’s like reading a book in a different language,” he says. “You look at the way a French clock is designed, then you look at a Dutch piece – they’re night and day.” David Smith marvels at the variety of designs of the grandfather clocks he repairs. Designers over the centuries have produced beautiful sounds in many different ways. – Photo: Nancy Warner, warnerphoto.com Mechanical clocks like these use a key to wind a mainspring that, in unwinding, turns gears that move the clock’s hands. The ticktock you hear comes from the gear teeth engaging and releasing. Time takes its toll on all these parts. As a child, Smith frequented his father’s...