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All the United States New Mexico Santa Fe Spitz Clock
AO Edited

Spitz Clock

This giant pocket watch is the third iteration of a local landmark that has been standing just off the Santa Fe Plaza for over 100 years.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Added By
James T. Bartlett
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This is the third giant Spitz Clock since 1881.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
It still runs on orginal parts, and has to be wound up.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
It was donated to the city in 1974.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
The Spitz Clock   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
The original - non-working one - was erected in 1881.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
  chrisheidimckenzie / Atlas Obscura User
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When the Spitz Jewelry Store opened its doors in 1881, a giant pocket watch was the ideal advertising ploy. Would-be customers could spot the massive timepiece from a far away, but there was just one problem—it didn't actually tell time. Around the turn of the century, it was decided that a working clock might be a better idea, so the Spitz Clock was replaced with a functional version.

In 1915, people gawped when the first motor truck in the city drove around the plaza, but then there were shouts and screams as the driver struggled to control his four-wheeled machine. He crashed into the Spitz Clock, sending it timbering into the dust. Determined not to give up, jeweler Salamon Spitz purchased another working clock secondhand in Kansas City.

The new clock was also built by E. Howard and Company, whose outsized clocks were seen on city squares across America. This one is said to be the last clock with its original gears. All the others were converted to electricity, while this one still has to be wound. Visitors who listen closely might be able to hear the gears grinding inside.

This third clock avoided being melted down for scrap during World War II, and it stood outside the store for around 50 years until it was closed to make way for a new addition to the plaza in 1967. The clock stayed in storage for seven years until next-generation Bernard Spitz donated it to the city, and was erected just off the plaza at the corner of Palace and Lincoln Avenues in 1974.

Despite the glittery gold-leaf gilding and occasional restorations, the two faces look rather worn and dirty these days. Officials may debate about the expense of renovating, replacing, or simply donating it to the local museum. But for Santa Fe locals and tourists alike, it's a beloved landmark.

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Clocks History & Culture Design Time Astounding Timepieces

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Located outside the New Mexico Museum of Art.

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jbartlett2000

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chrisheidimckenzie

  • chrisheidimckenzie

Published

October 1, 2021

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  • https://www.abqjournal.com/69932/clock-takes-a-beating.html
Spitz Clock
63 Lincoln Ave
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501
United States
35.687822, -105.938864
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