My father, Dr. Paul Lapinel Set the clock bug into my soul.

His creaking ankles betrayed his path to the stunning Long case clock in our hallway. Once a week, always in the early morning, my father would approach the clock with pride and wind up the three arbors. The clock would chime Westminster on gongs or Canterbury or Whittington on bells.

Of course we, as children weren’t allowed to wind the clock. We weren’t even allowed to do anything but appreciate it. Of course when one has seven children some fail to restrain their passion. My oldest brother tried to secretly wind it and tangled the cables. This wasn’t repaired for many years.

My next older brother felt the dial needed cleaning so he took some silver polish to the partially silvered pierced dial and…the silver disappeared! That was never repaired.
I got older, I met and married my awesome wife Cathy, and we moved about the States. When we were a bit more established we went to a local auction and bought a black mantle clock. A gentleman with a warm smile came by and asked if we wanted to have the clock cleaned.

Not knowing anything about clocks I agreed. Major Barney Sockrider invited us to his home in a nearby town. He showed me his collection and his process for cleaning clocks. I immediately knew where I was headed after that friendship developed. First I leaned from the Major. Then I learned from a course with the British Horologcal Society. I also learned from an Amish clockmaker, a lot of practice and many many books. Within a few years I was cleaning and doing fundamental repairs for many in town and for most of the nearby antique shops. I was happy and felt competent and oblivious to the fact that I was  just a beginner with limited skills. 

I started repairing for side income about 32 years ago. I never stopped despite having a career, a farm to take care of and being a father to three incredible children. I joined two U.S. based clock and watch associations, went to many clock shows, met wonderful experts in various parts of the field and slowly developed proper skills and knowledge. I started watch restoration about 10 years ago and about 5 years ago settled into a comfort zone restoring watches with complications (such as chronographs).
It takes a very long time learning, adapting and then acquiring the proper equipment to handle clocks and watches professionally.

Having retired from the practice of Medicine I now repair full time and I assist Cathy with her leather business. I’m also at that stage in life where I teach others to restore. It has been a long and enjoyable journey.