Tyrell-Calhoon's Enhanced Clock

"The accuracy of this clock is just...incredible. It never loses time, can keep track of all four moons and even other celestial objects. Mind-boggling how it was done. Just a shame it's the size of two houses or I would order one for myself...."

- Typical response when seeing a Tyrell-Calhoon's Enhanced Clock

The Tyrell-Calhoon's Enhanced Clock (TCEC) is a wondrous invention of the age. Accurate, beautiful design, with functions most people would never need or even desire. Truly, a triumph of technology over nature! The fact that it's the size of several small houses is one that Marjory "Maggie" Tyrell-Calhoon dismisses off-hand - "You can't put limits on technology" is something she is often heard to say with regards to her designs.
Which is rather typical of her and her designs. Some might call it a flaw, others call it a hallmark. But all can agree that her designs are always impressive, even if they all have one major...issue.
The TCEC is no exception. Created by Tyrell-Calhoon for a wealthy patron who was obsessed with knowing the correct time. Stories say that this unnamed patron was being quite demanding and short-sighted. Short-sighted in that they couldn't see that far without the aid of visual enhancements. And so, Tyrell-Calhoon set about making a clock that was accurate as heck, that could help with weather predictions and more!
What many people don't realise about Tyrell-Calhoon is that every item that has "design flaws" was made for a client who was very demanding/rude/micro-managed and so on. Much of her regular work goes unnoticed by the general population. And for the most part, that is how she prefers it - To let the work speak for itself and to do its job. Leave her to her work, pay her and you would get something that worked as designed and was reliable and, very rarely, need maintenance. Her regular work would be classed as Masterwork by others. But keep poking and the phrase "Malicious Compliance" would be appropriate here.
The patron of what was to become the TCEC, was, as you might have guessed, one of her more demanding customers. The constant "suggestions", the demands to make the design bigger so he could see it easily and so on. 

And so, she did as she was asked to do. Make a clock he could see with little effort.
The clock itself is, as mentioned, very large, with more gears, gadgets and widgets attached to it than it should do. But, in the 20+ years it has been made, only lost one second, which was due to a small pigeon getting stuck in one of the wheels. This does auto-correct/adjust and within 6 months even that imperfection will be gone. 
For Marjory "Maggie" Tyrell-Calhoon, this bit of malicious compliance has sort of backfired as now many very wealthy and influential patrons want something made for them, each with their ridiculous demands. Still, she will never be wanting for work and if she can have a little fun whilst having to deal with these upper-class nimwits...well...it's a price she is willing to pay...


Note - This item was inspired by the random generator "Steampunk Technobabble Generator", which was made by the author.

Item type

Mechanical