It ticks and ticks at every turn.

You can hear the pendulum swinging and the hands changing everywhere – in the house, in the garden and even in the yard.

From huge train station watches to tiny cufflink watches, almost everything that collectors can collect is represented.

Even the stairwell where Hendrik Bernhard is standing is full of them.

The master watchmaker from Florstadt uses a wooden grandfather clock to explain what needs to be taken into account when changing the time: "You always have to change it forwards - whether it's now or in autumn.

If you turn them back, you quickly break the clockwork.”

At some point they stopped counting the clocks

Daylight saving time begins on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Even if the time change has been abolished in many countries outside of Europe that tick differently, we have to put the clocks one hour forward from two o'clock to three o'clock.

On October 30th, the time will be reset to normal time, which is what "winter time" is actually called.

For the Bernhard family, the change is a special effort.

It is estimated that mother Sybille and father Lothar, in particular, have collected around 1000 watches over the years.

At some point they stopped counting.

Every watch has its story

Lothar Bernhard was enthusiastic about watches from an early age.

He received one of his first pieces as a gift from an old lady whom he had always helped – an officer's watch.

It's all happened to him since then.

He read manuals and non-fiction books on watch movements the way other people read novels, and sometimes took watches instead of money as payment for some jobs.

Having to really think things through is what he particularly enjoys: "I just want to know why the heart doesn't beat." But the stories associated with the many different pieces also fascinate the family.

"Each watch has its own special charm," says Sybille Bernhard, who father and son jokingly call "clock mother".

"Especially the older watches tell so much when you look at them."

Both parents have nothing to do with watches professionally.

They collect and restore them just to pass the time.

Son Hendrik, on the other hand, has turned his hobby into a career.

As a master watchmaker, he runs the workshop.

Both generations complement each other in daily work.

Where the son still lacks experience, the father always has advice ready.

And when the father reaches his technical limits, the son supports him with his expertise.

In this house, it quickly becomes clear: the company name "Zeitgeist" is no coincidence.

Father Lothar in particular is passionate about his watches.

"My son says often enough: 'Dad brought scrap again.'

But when I fall in love with a watch, it's because I can already see it in front of me.

I can already see what will become of it when it's still completely dirty and dented.

And that gives me incredible joy.” He cannot answer the question about a favorite watch.

He works on many for months, if not years.

"Honestly?

i love them all

Really.” And when he says that, suddenly with a very tender timbre, you know that it just has to be right.

"Whoever comes to us, we will also help"

But the two men don't just repair and restore in their workshops.

They also produce threads, gears and smaller parts.

"You can't buy much of it these days.

So we thought we'd do it ourselves. After all, we can't repair it without it." They also get music boxes and gramophones running again in this way.

"We have also made threads for vintage cars that no one else makes anymore," says the "Uhrmutti".

"Whoever comes to us, we will help."

The family's latest project is a giant triangular clock, illuminated, with writing about five feet high.

It is intended to decorate the facade of the building.

But it's still in the yard, a few little things still need to be perfected.

Installation is scheduled for the weekend.

The work on the new flagship took more than two years.

Visitors should be able to recognize the “Zeitgeist” from afar.

The Bernhards are also planning a “repair café,” a kind of workshop on their property.

Collectors and other curious people can then repair their watch themselves over a weekend and learn the basics of watchmaking.

"Everyone can then simply try something out without worrying that something might break," says Lothar Bernhard.

"We'll just do it again, without stress."

But it will probably take a while until then.

In the meantime, the family has enough time to change all the clocks.

But they don't need too long, thanks to their experienced grips.

“We go through the house together on Sunday.

That usually only takes one to two hours,” says Hendrik.

For father Lothar, the 26 outdoor clocks are the most important.

"What would it look like if our clocks outside didn't work correctly?

After all, that's our figurehead." Inside, on the other hand, it's not so bad if someone is five minutes ahead or behind: "After all, I'm not crazy!"