Apr 13, 2026
John M. Flaux Presents the Architectural La Villa d’hOro Clock
ACHI member and clockmaker John-Mikaël Flaux unveils the first clock in a new series, the Renaissance-inspired La Villa d’hOro. Fashioned as a tribute to the romantic city of Venice, the clock has an exposed movement and three dials, making it a rather practical piece of horological art. Initial thoughts Table clocks represent a niche category, even within the already niche realm of mechanical clocks. They lack the both the sobriety of large standing clocks and the convenient portability of watches - whether built for the pocket or the wrist. That said, this middle ground arguably makes them more attractive to a certain type of collector. Many modern artisanal clock producers take inspiration from science-fiction, popular culture or the automobile world. John-Mikaël Flaux went for a very different aesthetic with his La Villa d’hOro. Taking from his own experience exploring cities, the artisanal clockmaker decided to launch a small series of city and architecture inspired clocks, the Villa Tempus series. The first model, the La Villa d’hOro, takes its inspiration from the insular Italian city of Venice. Mr Flaux cites the landmark Doge Palace as the core architectural inspiration. The idea behind the La Villa d’hOro is to be reminiscent of Venice without actually emulating any specific part or building of the floating city. In many ways the La Villa d’hOro manages to capture the old world charm Venice, which has been mostly kept almost intact to this day...