Martin H Dunn, Horologist

Martin Dunn is one of the county’s foremost experts in the field of clocks. Who better to welcome in the new year with Lincolnshire Pride than a man with over 100 clocks to chime on the stroke of midnight?

Yorkshire lad Martin Dunn certainly appreciates good engineering. Showing us around his clock showroom in North Lincolnshire, he explained via the naked workings of one of his longcase clocks just how the intricate elements of a clock work to absolute precision, and it’s easy to see the appeal – and easy to understand why Martin has spent over 20 years in the industry.

These days we live in a throwaway society and tend not to pass down antiques from family member to family member – we expect items like clocks to be cheap, last a short amount of time, and we replace them just as easily after they fail or we tire of them.

It’s a shame, since when we’re reminded of good craftsmanship and quality, the appeal is enormous. Of the 100 clocks on display in Martin’s showroom, The Clock Gallery, just shy of Immingham, each one is unique, varying greatly in price and specification, and yet each is a great example of precise engineering and a reminder of when quality and longevity were important,

“I choose the clocks really carefully. Says Martin. “Not only is it a great excuse to trail around the German fayres, it’s important to me that people from the county choosing a clock from here know theirs is unique and individual, with nothing similar right next to it, or in the storeroom.”

Martin was born in North Yorkshire and moved to the East End of London when he was just three years old. At 11, the family moved to Mablethorpe, and at 15, Martin moved to Gainsborough in order to begin a career in engineering which would eventually take him to Coultards in Grimsby and eventually Conoco in Immingham, where he would remain for over 30 years.

As an engineer, Martin was used to working with heavy equipment and instruments, and found that his existing interest in cabinet making could combine nicely with the precision engineering involved in horology. Needless to say Martin’s interest flourished, and developed into the business which he now runs with daughter Kimberley.