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Barry Gamble

Barry Gamble has been designing, manufacturing and repairing contemporary clock art in his California Sonoma/Napa area workshop for almost 50 years. In addition to restoring and improving historical works such as Aurora and Prisma, Gamble is world-renowned for his own unique chronological creations—many of which enjoy a limited production of 2-3 years before being retired to give way to the next edition.

Gamble graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in electrical engineering. He worked from 1964-1973 for Hewlett Packard, while starting Chrono-Art Inc. in 1971. In 1973, he left HP to pursue horology full-time. Dreaming up and making beautiful clocks with the latest technology (that are also affordable and possible to build) is a challenge that Gamble has accepted and excelled at over the years.

Technology and its changes are important elements in Gamble’s designs. His work displays time in beautiful and playful ways, yet also reflects the periods in time during which the work was created. For example, TTL logic becoming reasonably priced in 1969 permitted Dot Clock to be produced. CMOS logic allowed for the Audocron in 1979 (inspired by a friend’s idea of creating a clock for the blind). The availability of Bi-Color Light Emitting Diodes led to the Time Square in 1987. One-time programmable microprocessors helped move the Vortex & Omichron (along with laser cutting) into existence in 1990. The introduction of blue light emitting diodes added to the TimeCapsule. Ultra-bright blue light emitting diodes are featured on the Omichron II. Even brighter LEDs led to the DreamTime and improvements in the Aurora & Prisma clocks. Changes in technology can also render certain works in a constant state of ‘in progress’ over time.

Barry Gamble finds inspiration in his patrons, and we find inspiration in his horological artwork. He reflects: ‘Your love of the unusual, the mysterious, the puzzle, the elegant, the modern, the colorful, the charming, have all fueled me over the past half century.’