New York City's 85-year-old clock master prepares for Daylight Saving
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- The concept of time is one 85-year-old Marvin Schneider has no problem considering.
"I know time is precious and it's not inexhaustible but I try to have as good of a time as I can," Schneider said.
The Brooklyn resident is New York City's clock master and the job has belonged to Marvin since the 1970s -- first as a volunteer, then in the '90s, as he mastered the craft, it became official.
"It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I did my part to try to preserve American heritage," he said.
One of those clocks towers grandly above City Hall.
There are about a dozen mechanical clocks across the city that need consistent maintenance -- but no time is more pertinent for a clock master than the day the clocks turn back.
So as we approach the end of Daylight Saving on Sunday, Marvin will hand-tune each clock at City Hall back an hour to standard time.
Well, he actually will turn them all 11 hours forward, and offered some sage advice.
"If we go backwards we risk breaking things," he explained.
The 85-year old knows he can't do this forever, thus he has a protégé, 74-year-old Forest Markowitz -- a retired city employee.
But when will Marvin pass on the honor of clock master?
"Time will tell," he said.
RELATED | Daylight saving time 2024 is ending: When do we 'fall back' an hour?
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