Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

One of life’s unavoidable inconveniences is the act of adjusting our clocks either forward or backward in November and March. It is called Daylight Savings Time or DST. The goal of DST is to make better use of daylight by prolonging the amount of time we can spend outside during daylight hours.

The argument for the abolishment of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is gathering steam. It is cumbersome, and unnecessary in today’s world. Presently, out of 195 countries globally, approximately 70 utilize DST in some capacity, with notable exceptions being Japan, India, and China among major industrialized nations.

Around 1890, Sir Sandford Fleming, a Canadian engineer credited with significant railway projects and devising an internationally accepted standard time scheme, was instrumental in the early adoption of DST.

Currently, residents in these 70 countries, including Canada, must adhere to DST conventions, adjusting their clocks forward in spring and backward in autumn. In Canada, the saying “Spring ahead, Fall behind” helps in remembering the biannual time adjustments, occurring on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.

For mechanical clocks with analog dials, simply advance the minute hand by one hour on March 9th. If the clock has a chime or a mechanism with a countwheel strike, allow it to operate naturally at the quarter-hour or the half-hour.

Despite its widespread usage, there’s a growing movement in Canada to abandon DST, citing its impracticality and lack of necessity.