Keeping time

The Uhrenmuseum is a private collection of clocks and watches and to find it you have to go in to the Beyer shop in the most prestigious shopping street in Zurich, the Bahnhofstrasse (look for the big clock outside). The Beyer family has been in the watch and clock business since 1760 and the collection is one of the best in the world.

The labels are written in German but the items were beautifully arranged on chronological order and well lit. The friendly staff member gave us a published book that had an English explanation of some of the items, and she also set some of the automation clocks going for us. There were also several computer screens showing some of the clocks working and playing the sounds they make. We found the watch worn by Hillary when he climbed Everest, the smallest pendulum clock in the world (with the Guinness Book of Records certificate to prove it), old oil clocks, hourglasses, scientific clocks, fob watches, table clocks and pendulum clocks. The intricate workmanship was astonishing.