Miki Eleta

Clockmaker

©Raphael Zubler

©Miki Eleta

Rewarded with joy

Miki is a self-taught clockmaker
He crafts every clock component himself
Each of his creations are unique

Miki Eleta is as much an artist as he is a clockmaker. He was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and moved to Switzerland in 1973, where he discovered his passion for precise mechanics. At the age of 50, he presented a kinetic work at an exhibition and felt the urge to take on a challenge to create an even better piece. He came back the following year with his very first clock. It had instant success, was sold, and this was the beginning of Miki’s life as a clockmaker. Each of his unique creations begins with a rough sketch, and the process is a discovery where each component is designed and crafted by Miki himself. He is not an assembler of clocks, but a creator. Miki is attracted by the inexhaustibly interesting world of watch and clockmaking, where complex mechanical objects need design, aesthetics, and a warm heart.

Interview

©Miki Eleta

©Miki Eleta

What are the necessary traits of a clockmaker?: A clockmaker must be totally free and have ideas. You must be brave. You must be ready to make every part of the clock yourself. Many watchmakers are rational assembly people but for me there is nothing pre-set. Making my clocks is a process of discovery.
What is something well made for you?: A clock is well made when it works technically and when it will work for many years to come. Well made is the security that it is really well done on the technical level but that it also awakens a lot of positive emotions, that it has a wow effect.
How do you find confidence that your clocks will run well for years?: You must use the best materials, solutions, and techniques. Then you rely on the tradition of clockmaking, in which people have been making clocks for centuries which still run today. There is also a personal record of the clocks I have built, which still run perfectly. Clocks need adjustments and repairs, but a good clock can run for a long time.
How do you set a price for your clocks?: Once I finish a clock, it is not a spreadsheet calculation. I stand in front of the artwork and think about a reasonable price. I do not create clocks thinking about my wallet. I get rewarded by doing my craft, just as much as when the client pays for the final clock. I feel like I am paid twice.

Miki Eleta is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2000