Us: My name is Barry Gamble. I am an electrical engineer, graduate of UC, Berkeley, who worked 9 years for Hewlett Packard from 1964-73. I started Chrono-Art Inc. in 1971, quit HP two years later, and have been designing, manufacturing, and marketing unusual contemporary clocks for 38 years. Two to four employees do the real work of manufacture and repair.
My first clock was created as a wedding gift for my best friend. The next, the AUDOCRON was conceived of by a friend, Doug Clark, for a blind friend of his. Some clocks are other peoples abandoned designs that I felt were too good to let die. Some were created to pay the rent but mostly I love to create beautiful and unusual clocks with the latest technology. There is great joy in bringing a dream into the world. Weekly someone calls to express the fun the clocks have brought into their lives over the years.
Technology has inspired the designs. TTL logic becoming reasonable priced in 1969 allowed the "Dot clock" to be created. CMOS logic allowed the Audocron in 1979. Bi-Color light emitting diodes -- led to the Time Square in 1987. One-time-programmable microprocessors helped move the Vortex into existence in 1990. This plus laser cutting of acrylic allowed the Omichron's creation in 1990. The introduction of blue light emitting diodes added to the TimeCapsule. Ultra bright blue light emitting diodes are shown off in the Omichron II. The wide range of colors in ultra bright light emitting diodes add to the Alien II's look. Even brighter LED's, led to the DreamTime and improvements in the Aurora. Lower priced bright LEDs from China helped keep the price of the ProtoTime reasonable.
Designs are also motivated by you, my customers. 17 years of your devotion to the Audocron chime clock led to the Eventide chime clock and the DreamTime. Your love of the unusual, the mysterious, the puzzle, the elegant, the modern, the colorful, the charming, all add to what you see created.
Most of my clocks today are only in production 2-3 years. In the 70's when I only sold to stores, a product could stay in production for many years. Today I market to you, my fans. When a product is first introduced I may sell 100 the first year, then 50 the next year, then 25, then I let it die. Also keep in mind when I get down to the last 10-15 I usually raise the price 25 to 30%.
Occasionally I see a design by another manufacturer that I think might appeal to you. They are listed as Novelty Clocks on the home page.
Making beautiful clocks with the latest technology is a challenge. It is easy to dream of clocks that can't be built or are so expensive only Bill Gates can afford them. I have also found it easy to do ugly, boring and uninteresting designs. I have quite a junk pile of rejects. What you see here is the latest of my life's work and passion. Enjoy them!
Location & Visiting Information: ChronoArt is in northern California, about an hours' drive north of San Francisco, in a little town called Cotati just north of Petaluma, in the middle of the Sonoma/Napa wine country. Visitors are very welcome, but it is a factory, and not pretty (I am not big on doing windows, vacuuming or removing cobwebs. You may enjoy the location (green rolling hills, or very brown), the clocks that are wonderful, and the factory is unique (geodesic domes), but there are problems. We are not here on weekends and you should call (707-795-1834) to make sure I am not out playing tennis, at lunch, or running errands, and to get directions (we are not on a main road and there is no sign on the road).