By Caitlin Heusser, Museum Curator
After a 30-year silence, Windsor’s historic Town Clock is back in action. This beloved timepiece, which once graced the window of the town’s local jewelry store, has a legacy dating back to 1904 when Windsor’s first jeweler proudly placed it on display for the entire community to see—and set their watches by.
Over the decades, as jewelers came and went, both the shop inventory and the clock were passed from one owner to the next, a tradition that lasted until 1995 when Alpine Jewelers closed its doors.
In 2021, the clock was generously donated to the Town of Windsor Museum by the son of Dick and Roberta Gritz, former owners of Alpine Jewelers. Thanks to the skilled hands of local clock smith Ryan Ford, the clock received the repairs it needed to come back to life.
Today, it hangs proudly in the entryway of the Art & Heritage Center—Windsor’s original Town Hall built in 1909. More than just a timekeeper, this treasured piece of history is once again marking the passing minutes for the Windsor community, just as it did over 120 years ago.