24/07/2026
For Ludwig Oechslin, horology is a form of research. For decades, he has studied historical astronomical clocks and their makers, and with them the question of how the movements of the heavens can be made comprehensible through mechanics. His work combines historical research, astronomy and construction.
This knowledge is condensed in the ochs und junior eclittica table clock. It is a new construction, created from ideas and experiences that Ludwig has gathered over the course of a working lifetime. He began developing the clock after his mother, Ida Anna Oechslin, passed away in 2024 at the age of 101. The construction is personally dedicated to her. For every mother, like the eclittica, is a cosmos of her own, a distinct system of relationships, memories and experiences.
The fact that the eclittica is taking shape in the year of our 20th anniversary is not only a look back. The clock builds on two decades of shared work and, at the same time, represents what may still emerge from this way of thinking.
Time, the starry sky, the sun, the moon and the horizon form a single system. The clock reveals how the heavens appear from a particular location on Earth and how the time of day, the course of the year, the phases of the moon and eclipses are interconnected.
The prototype shown was created together with Ludwig’s daughter, Cajetana Oechslin,
a goldsmith and designer. Based on Ludwig’s ideas, she designed and produced the components, created the case and assembled the clock. Their collaboration was characterised by discussions, the testing of solutions and their joint implementation. The eclittica table clock thus connects three generations: the memory of the mother, the knowledge of the son and the creative and technical work of the granddaughter.
A glimpse into the workshop, at an astronomical table clock in development and an idea that continues to be explored.
Further technical information of the prototype:
Dial diameter 9.5 cm,
including frame (prototype) 11 cm
Height 10 cm
Length 6.5 cm
Made of brass, with a brown patina
Plexiglas casing
Weight 494 g
