Javier Castillo Díaz belongs to the sixth generation of a family devoted to the repair and restoration of clocks. His 36 years in the clockmaker’s trade have allowed him to work on a great variety of mechanical and monumental clocks in the greater part of… Spain.

He does all his work with traditional methods, using mostly a forge, lathe, milling cutter and regulator.

Nearly all clock restoration jobs start with a clean-up. After degreasing, oxide removal and the cleaning and polishing of parts, Javier ascertains the extent of wear and what adjustments are required. He then makes a photographic survey of the clock parts and measures wear with a calliper. In most cases he has to remake ferrules, teeth and wheels out of cast bronze. He also masters blacksmithing techniques for making cog shafts of wrought iron.

Javier has introduced various improvements into his work process and has formulated his own non-abrasive fluid for the degreasing, cleaning and polishing of clock parts.

It is worth noting that the logistics involved in this trade are complex, as many restorations are on clocks of church towers and monumental buildings that are hard to access.

As a devotee of timepieces, Javier also has a collection of clocks, watches and alarm clocks.