By Pamela Dozois
Contributing Writer
David Walter of Buellton has attained a lofty status among master clock and watchmakers by becoming “Free of the City of London” and “Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers,” an organization in London that King Charles I established by royal charter in 1631.
David Walter stands next to one of his double pendulum clocks, which costs about $385,000.
The honor of becoming “Free of the City of London” is granted in recognition of a lifetime of achievement or of high international standard.
“I know it sounds rather complicated, but it is an ancient tradition,” Walter said. “It is a privilege to become accepted into an ancient society and participate in its heritage and customs. It also offers members the opportunity to meet with leading figures in the world of horology, which would otherwise be difficult.
“I had been aware of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers but because I was living so far away … I hadn’t paid much attention to it until 2011, when I applied and was accepted into the company as a “Freeman.” I became interested in joining the company because it is a group of like-minded people and it is a long-standing institution,” said Walter. “In order to progress from being a ‘Freeman’ to a ‘Liveryman’ of the company, I first needed to become ‘Free of the City of London.’
“I was told by becoming Free of the City of London, I am free of the city’s rules and regulations. I’m not quite sure which of the city’s rules no longer apply to me. It’s somewhat like politicians, I guess, who follow a different set of rules. I was also told that when you are made Free of the City of London, you cannot be arrested, prosecuted or convicted of any crime except murder or treason. I won’t be testing that theory out any time soon,” he mused.
“To become a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, you need a proposer and a second to recommend you. I knew a number of people who were already in the company and they agreed to sponsor me,” he said. “But The Clerk of the Company of Clockmakers said my credentials were enough for me to be accepted without any sponsors. You cannot become a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers unless you are highly recognized in that specific profession.”
Walter was required to attend an admission ceremony in London, but first he had to attend a ceremony to become Free of the City of London. Both ceremonies were held in London on Sept. 25.
David Walter has made the world’s smallest carriage clock, just slightly bigger than a penny at one and a half inches tall.
“Both my wife and I traveled to London,” he said. “First I was presented at Guildhall by the Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court in the presence of the Court Beadle, along with my guests in attendance. During the ceremony, I was presented with a beautiful Certificate of Freedom, which is made of sheep velum and inscribed by a calligrapher, together with a passport cover in which to carry the certificate on my person along with a book entitled “Rules for the Conduct of Life,” which is 43 pages in length and penned in the 1700s.
“I signed my name in a book containing the names of previous recipients and was then made Free of the City of London, which then allowed me to become Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.”
Walter is now in the company of Florence Nightingale, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Theodore Roosevelt, among many other luminaries who are Free of the City of London.
“Traditionally, after the ceremony at Guildhall, everyone heads to the pub for a pint, but I decided to pass on that tradition, since later that evening I was to attend an Admission Ceremony in which I was to be formally admitted as Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. It was a solemn affair in which I received my Livery Medal of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. There were 16 of us to be admitted into the Company that day, both as Freeman and Liveryman,” said Walter. “Following the Admission Ceremony my wife and I attended the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers gala dinner. It was a beautiful formal affair.”
Walter has been a clockmaker all his life, since he started making clocks at 15 years old in Perth, Australia.
“My father pointed me in that direction, which he felt was a reasonable occupation,” said Walter. “I moved to England in 1971 and worked for the Queen’s Jewelers while there.”
Walter has designed the world’s smallest carriage clock, 1 ½ inches tall. He has also built five of the 14 double-pendulum clocks found in the world.
He makes the clock and watch mechanisms in their entirety. He designs the clock or watch, which involves extensive mathematical equations, and hand tools each one of its components, some minuscule.
He is commissioned to service, restore and even replicate lost parts of antique clocks, and to make clocks and watches for people from all over the world. His clocks have been featured on the cover of the British Horological Journal many times. He is now making the first completely platinum watch in the world, with a price tag of $86,000, and an author is writing his biography.
Walter has tried to pass along his skill and wisdom to the younger generation but with little success, he said, except for one student, Briana Le, from the Bay Area. She was admitted as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in the admission ceremony that was held before the gala dinner.
“Sadly, most youngsters these days have a short attention span and would much prefer to play with their gadgets than make clocks,” Walter said.
The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers holds many events during the year involving clock and watchmakers. They also have a long history of cultural patronage, primarily supporting clockmaker-related causes and, in particular, the education and training of clockmakers and the offering of awards for excellence in horology. The company also plays an important part in social life, networking and charitable work in London.
Walter moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 2001. In 2004 he married his wife, Deborah, who is a jewelry maker and landscape designer from Big Sur.
“It was a great honor to be made Free of the City of London and to become a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers,” Walter said. “My father would have been very proud.”
For more information, call Walter at David Walter Timepieces, 805-688-9112 , email david@davidwalter.net, or visit www.davidwalter.com.
