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Eric Freitas on Making Sculptural, Custom Clocks

Eric Freitas combines handmade clock mechanisms with an irregular, sculptural visual language. See how his clocks work, what they display, and what is known about commissions and price.
Estimate4–5 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team

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Eric Freitas makes clocks that are meant to be read as mechanisms and as sculptural objects. His designs may look irregular, weathered, or overtaken by organic forms, but he says the underlying aim is to preserve mechanical precision. That tension—between exact timekeeping and a deliberately imperfect appearance—runs through his handmade clocks, from a horizontal exposed movement to large, multi-dial commissions.

What makes Eric Freitas’s clocks different?

Freitas trained in design, painting, and sculpture, and says he became interested in clockmaking in 2004. Machining his first gear from scratch hooked him on the craft. Rather than treating a clock as a polished case around a hidden mechanism, he makes the mechanism and its irregular visual character part of the work.

“My goal is to maintain mechanical precision, while making clocks that are visually sculptural and expressive, rather than polished and perfect,” Freitas says on his About page. His recurring imagery evokes an old clock being overtaken by nature: wear, growth, transformation, and renewal. Gears and the sound of ticking contribute to the experience as well as the clock’s function.

The style is personal rather than a formal movement label. An independent Quill & Pad profile traces its origins to Freitas’s own playful drawing and design practice, not an attempt to imitate another artist. Individual clocks differ considerably: some expose handmade mechanical movements, while others use commercial quartz motors alongside sculpted, handmade details.

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How does Eric Freitas make his clocks?

Handmade, in Freitas’s work, can mean fabricating functional components rather than simply decorating an existing clock. His process guide describes making and balancing gears, turning threaded hardware on a lathe, and shaping components. Custom dimensions and forms let him design parts around the specific clockwork he wants to build.

That approach makes each project’s appearance and mechanism closely connected. A gear train, weight, pendulum, dial, or display layout can be designed as part of the object’s composition rather than concealed behind a conventional face. The amount of fabrication varies by clock: the portfolio includes both fully handmade mechanical works and quartz clocks that retain hand-sculpted elements.

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What do his clocks show?

Freitas’s portfolio ranges from time displays to clocks with calendar and astronomical indications. These examples show how the mechanism, layout, and sculptural treatment change from one work to another.

Clock What it shows or how it is made
Perpetual No.1 (2019) Freitas’s first clock with a perpetual calendar, tracking the varying number of days in each month and accounting for leap years.
Th3 (2019) A horizontal mechanical clock arranged so the gears, weight, and pendulum can be seen without overlapping bridges or extra plates.
Quinquagenarius (2019) A commissioned two-dial clock with hours and minutes on one dial and seconds on another. Freitas says its nine-foot chain consists of 480 hand-machined pieces.
Paper Moon (2019) A wall clock with a mechanical moon-phase display.
The Grasmere Commission A large vertical clock with a triple-date mechanism for day, date, and month, plus a moon-phase indicator. Distributed dial locations required levers and cams; Freitas says he engraved the lettering by hand with a rotary tool.
The Jungers Commission (2014–2016) A 7½-foot installation viewable from four sides, with six dials, including moon phase and day. Freitas reports that this individual commission involved 2,421 hours of work and 5,080 hand-machined parts.
Three A newer mechanical clock inspired by Th3. In a January 30, 2026 post, Freitas describes it as fabricated from scratch, with hand-cut gear teeth and screw threads, and as a rare non-commissioned mechanical piece.

The figures for Quinquagenarius and the Jungers Commission are Freitas’s descriptions of those specific projects, not typical requirements for a custom clock. The portfolio also recounts one Perth commission for which more than three years passed before the client saw a finished clock, with delivery closer to four years; that account is an example, not a standard lead time.

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Can you commission a custom clock from Eric Freitas?

His portfolio documents bespoke commissions, but it does not establish whether he is accepting new ones now. Availability should be confirmed directly with Freitas. The work is necessarily scarce: he says, “I can only make a few clocks a year, so there is a finite number of designs that I’m capable of producing in my life.” The long timeline reported for the Perth project illustrates why an existing design and a commission are not interchangeable purchase options.

A prospective client can clarify the idea by considering the choices visible across his work: mechanical or quartz movement, time-only or additional indications, horizontal or vertical orientation, and wall-hung scale or architectural installation. Those are useful starting points for a conversation, not a published menu of specifications or a promise that every combination is available.

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  • Warm Tips: Our custom clock’s hands have a little soft, so if the hands are accidentally bent, try to adjust it to a horizontal position by hand so that the clock hands do not cross each other, although this is less likely 
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How much does an Eric Freitas clock cost?

At the time checked on October 8, 2026, Freitas’s official Three listing showed a price of $26,000. That is the listed price for this particular clock, not a general price for his work; custom commissions may differ, and the listing’s price or availability can change.

What books or tools do you need to make a mechanical clock?

Freitas names three books he used or recommends for learning clockmaking: W.R. Smith’s How to Make an 8 Day Skeleton Wall Clock, John Wilding’s How to Make a Weight Driven 8 Day Wall Clock, and C.J. Thorne’s Clockmaking for the Home Shop Machinist. He identifies them on his process page as resources for people interested in the craft.

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  • Warm Tips: Our custom clock’s hands have a little soft, so if the hands are accidentally bent, try to adjust it to a horizontal position by hand so that the clock hands do not cross each other, although this is less likely 

The tools depend on the project and the maker’s experience. Freitas’s methods involve gear cutting, lathe work, milling, and rotary sculpting; those are examples of professional fabrication processes, not a requirement that a beginner buy a full machine shop. A book-led learning project is a more grounded place to start than assuming the tools used for a large custom commission are necessary for every clockmaker.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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