Mission Loreto

Loreto, Mexico, not what one might consider a horological hotspot, just elevated me into a new status as a newcomer. 

Located on the Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur, about 508 kilometers (315 miles) north of Cabo and about 1166 kilometers (662 miles) south of Tijuana, Loreto is an old sleepy fishing village. It was the original capital of the Baja California region complete with a mission. The Mission's stone church, which still stands, was begun in 1740 and completed in 1744. First established by the Jesuits, then the Franciscans followed by the Dominican order.  The population today is about 18,000 with a small percentage of expats from the US and Canada. Many more visit this area during the winter to escape the cold of the north as the climate here is very mild from November to March. 

My wife and I ventured here in the spring of 2025 having been to LaPaz, about 4 hours drive south … but were looking for something less populous. When one wanders through the square in the center of town, you can’t help but not miss the Mission. Atop the church is a tower clock. There are two stories atop the original structure that were added in the 1950’s, yet some of the bells on the lower level date from the late 1700’s. I noticed there was something terribly off about this 4 faced clock. The hands were not reading the right time or reading the same time, the chimes were off; it had issues. Right after Christmas in 2025, we came back down with our kids to show them the town that we’ve fallen in love with. Once again, at the Mission, I cringed every time I heard the clock strike/chime. I asked around and most everyone had the same response. “Fatal, (terrible). It’s been like that for many years”.  So with my daughter as translator, we approached the padre at the church. He introduced us to Nicholas who would lead us into the tower. I’d mentioned (through my daughter) that I was a watch/clock guy and might be able to help. They all seemed enthusiastic about the chance that this gringo from Montana might be able to make a difference. 

We ascended the stone steps through a locked door, then another flight to the balcony where there were some music stands and audio equipment for services. Through another door we went to find an iron ladder, whose rungs were a bit sketchy. No OSHA in Loreto.  Upon reaching the top of this ladder, we were in the first level where the bells were hanging. Some were not connected to anything and looked quite old. I could make out a date on one of them as being from the 1780’s. Others were smaller, some cracked, but still proudly hung from the arches facing 4 directions. There were remnants of steel cables, one dilapidated face and a pair of hands plus a few random gears too. 

The next ascent was via rebar steps that were affixed to the inner walls of the tower. This narrow vertical trek was also a bit sketchy, but Nicholas took to the challenge as did my daughter. I wasn’t going to stop now! What could this tower clock be like? I had to find out. As I got to the top of the rebar ladder, there was a small and very narrow balcony that surrounded the top of the tower with just enough room to access the outside of the clock dials (and room to hang on to something!).  Turning into the tower there it was, a truly magnificent example of clockmaking. A three train timepiece of grand proportions. The painted finish was well preserved, the steel work was all damascened, right up to the anchor escapement. 

After a superficial inspection, the clock had three chime hammers and one hour strike hammer. I’m still not sure what the chime was intended to play, but it was not “bim-bam” or Westminster with only three strike levers.  The wire cables were sent through the floor to the bell room below. The motion work was well positioned so that I could loosen a nut to turn the drive shaft and advance the hands on the exterior. The rack and snail for the hour strike was well off where it was supposed to be. After a little tinkering, we got all four sets of hands aligned and the hour strike synchronised appropriately. Then it was only a matter of getting the cables from the clock to the bells below sorted out. A little splicing of the steel cable, adjusting the desired tension and we were in business. When I visit next, I’d like to replace all the cables with new ones and add turnbuckles to make the hammer adjusting simpler. 

Best I can tell, the clock was made in the 1950’s but was modified or simply serviced some years later to be electrically re-wound. Or maybe the original clock was removed and this one was replaced. I’ll need to check with the padre and ask if there are any records of a clock being there before the 1950’s. 

There, in the bell room was evidence of one of the original hand cranked cable spools, with the crank still attached. It appeared to predate this clock by many years. Also the remnants of an earlier dial and pair of hands. A little more research is required here as to when the clock was first installed, modified etc…. But suffice to say, I think the people of Loreto are happy that the clock is now sounding like it was supposed to. But I needed time to determine if it would keep accurate time and I didn’t have weeks to continually check it. But we planned to return. 

The small subdial at the front of the clock shows the manufacturer. More can be read about this internationally known company here - https://www.relojesolvera.com.mx/index.html. In short, from their website - Monumental clockmaking in Zacatlan (northeast of Mexico City) began in 1909 when Mr. Pablo Alberto Olvera Hernandez started building his first monumental clock, creating a legacy and tradition that was furthered by Engineer Roque Leonel Olvera Charolet in 1944. These roots are the foundation of Rilojes Olvera III Gereneracion (Olvera Clocks III Generation). 

We came back the next day with a videographer, Erik,  who wanted to do a short story on the clock with me. I also wanted  to check on the clock and it was only slightly off… but that’s Mexico time. I told Nicholas that we’d be back in a couple of months to check on it again and maybe I would be able to dial in the timekeeping a little better by then. It appears to have a one second pendulum so that should not be too difficult. 

My wife and I returned to Loreto in early April 2026 and I had to check on the clock. It was WAY off. With a friend from Montana who happened to be sailing about the Sea of Cortez, Pete and I were offered another look at the clock which appeared to be running extremely fast. Pete, or Pedro as he is called, is not a clock guy, but he’s a gear head. He still holds two speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats for cars that he designed and built. I was in good company and he was excited as a kid in a candy shop! 

We made some further adjustments and tried to determine the accuracy using a metronome from a phone app, but it wasn’t adding up. I was still convinced that something was amiss. It was not until I’d left Loreto and pondered it for a few weeks (also a conversation with a few US clock folks) that I was pretty sure what the issue was. Apparently someone had adjusted the escapement such that the pallet faces “dove” too deeply into the escape wheel such that they bottomed out. This, a little eureka moment, indicated to me that the clock would run fast as it was bouncing back prematurely from both the entrance pallet as well as the exit pallet. 

With this information in hand, I climbed the tower again in May of 2026. Adjusting the pallets slightly, I was able to prevent them from bottoming out in the trough of the escape wheel. Then armed with a clock timer this time, I was able to make an adjustment to the pendulum length to bring it back to keeping reasonable accuracy. After a few more visits,  the clock is keeping good time. 

I’m not yet famous as the clock-maker of Loreto, but I have to admit, I’ve achieved a slight level of notoriety with some of the locals. Of course, I’d like to find a young person that I could offer some guidance and instruction about regular check-ups and minor rate adjustments, but that will have to wait until next I visit the lovely town of Loreto. Maybe in the fall of 2026. 

To see Erik Steven's video of this process - https://youtu.be/a2cO5xz3-go



Dave Berghold has been the owner of the Last Wind-Up (www.lastwindup.com) in Bozeman, Montana since 1990 and also the owner of DB watches, his personal brand of wristwatches, designed, assembled and regulated in his workshop. 

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