The Museum of the Bermuda Historical Society houses some of Bermuda's oldest historical artifacts, including an antique clock dating back to around 1790 that could be considered one of the oldest surviving clocks in Bermuda.

According to Society president Andrew Bermingham, the piece is one of the Society's most precious items in its possession and is one of a kind.

"It's the finest artifact we have in the Bermuda Historical Society Museum and I believe it is the only one of its kind here in Bermuda. It is an absolutely superb piece of craftsmanship," he said.

The clock was made by Thomas Blatchley, an English-born clockmaker who lived and owned a business in St. George's.

Standing more than a foot high and described as very ornate with a pagoda-style roof, the clock features a silvered brass face that was inscribed with the clockmaker's name and the word "Bermudo".

According to the Historical Society, the possible reason "Bermudo" was inscribed may have been to avoid using the actual name of Bermuda, which could have been Crown-copyrighted at the time.

The clock also plays four different melodies that, according to Mr. Bermingham, are very special.

"The chime is absolutely delightful. It has a very nice chime to it, playing a trio of chamber musicians and playing instruments when the clock is wound up."

While the clock had been restored in the early 1990s, it had fallen into disrepair over the last few years and one of its vital parts was broken.

"Unfortunately, in the last five or six years it has been out of service and we required the best in Bermuda to fix it. It required a part to be made for it, which was broken," said Mr. Bermingham.

Instead of shipping the delicate artifact off island, the Society looked to a Front Street firm, Swiss Timing, to bring the clock back to working order.

"We're delighted to have it back on display and we're delighted that it was fixed by a Bermuda-based clockmaker. They made the crucial part for this clock. It could not have been repaired here otherwise without the manufacturing of the small part.

"We are very pleased that we were able to get it done here in Bermuda rather than shipping it out. It is beautifully made and, in fact, the watchmaker at Swiss Timing said it was one of the finest clocks he has ever had to work on."

The workmanship of the clock was so detailed and intricate that Leopold Jordan, owner of Swiss Timing, believes it was ahead of its time.

"It is an amazing clock and was extremely well made," he said. "Someone had to spend a lot of time to make such a piece. The clock was very complicated for those times, there was quite a bit of engineering involved."

Trained in Austria as a master watchmaker, Mr. Jordan has repaired many antique clocks, but this timepiece is unique and he enjoyed the challenge of restoring it back to its former glory.

"The clock is over 200 years old and over that time things have broken and pieces have worn down and it has been repaired many times by many different people so it makes it quite difficult to repair. You have to be inventive and take things as they come up.

"It was fun for me to spend time doing ¿ it was challenging and I quite enjoyed myself doing it. We repair a lot of antique clock repairs, such as grandfather clocks but this was out of the norm, a bit unconventional."

An additional interesting feature of the clock is its silvered brass face, which has an even more interesting story.

While Thomas Blatchley's business was clock making, we know from advertisements in the Bermuda Gazette that he also offered watch making, engraving and silversmith services.

Mr. Blatchley's employee, Peter Pallais, a French-born silversmith, moved to Bermuda around the time the clock was made and one could deduce that the face of the clock could have been made by his hand.

Eventually Mr. Pallais would take over Mr. Blatchley's business upon his death. However, we know more about him than any of his contemporaries because he was one of the island's earliest converts to the Methodist faith and for his convictions, he was also one the early 19th-century victims of religious persecution in Bermuda.

He, along with Bermuda's first Methodist minister, the Rev. John Stephenson, were imprisoned for nine days at the jail in St. George's, which is now the site of the St. George's Historical Society located on Duke of Kent Street.

While it is unknown how the Historical Society came to possess the clock, the organisation has been in existence since 1895 and is one of the oldest charities on the island. According to the Society, the restored clock is one of its finest pieces and is also the single most valuable asset in its collection.

"In 1992, it was valued at £15,000. I would say in context of Bermuda today it is priceless. It is priceless to us and to Bermuda. It is a really unique item and we are delighted to have it in working order again," said Mr. Bermingham.

As the 400th anniversary of Bermuda's founding is quickly approaching, Mr. Bermingham and the Historical Society hope that the 18th-century relic might inspire people to learn more about Bermuda's history.

"As we approach our 400th anniversary, we encourage Bermudians and visitors to come to the museum and see first hand the furniture, the silver, the paintings and other superb items covering Bermuda's 400-year history, not least of which, is the portrait of Sir George and Lady Somers, the Admiral Sea Chest and many other wonderful things, including a superb silver collection made by Peter Pallais.

"So we encourage people over the next few months to come by the museum and see, in the space of a couple hundred square feet, the 400 years of history that are on display in one of the last surviving historic houses still standing within the confines of modern Hamilton," he said.

The Bermuda Historical Society Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday and the clock will be solely attended by museum volunteer Arthur Tatem who will be available to tell visitors about the details of the timepiece. Mr. Bermingham will also open the museum for private parties wishing to visit during off hours and weekends. Anyone interested is asked to phone 236-4193.