Your father, Markus Marti, took care of the Zytglogge for over 40 years. What does it mean for you personally to have inherited this important role?

It’s naturally a great honor and joy. The role didn’t come unexpectedly, but was always foreseeable. What was surprising was the timing: my father died too soon and so I had to assume the task practically from one day to the next, without being able to carry out a gradual handover. This is sad. But it’s beautiful that the activity in the tower always reminds me positively of my father.

What are the daily tasks necessary to keep the Zytglogge clock running? Are there specific rituals or gestures you perform regularly?

The clock is composed of 5 separate mechanisms—each with its own function: main movement, quarter hours, hours, figure play, rooster. Each mechanism has a weight that must be pulled up manually through a pulley. This work must be carried out daily, the power reserve is about 28 hours. You have to manually wind each of the 5 mechanisms with a crank. The whole thing takes about 10-15 minutes. In total it’s about 400 kilos that are lifted 20 meters high. Besides the daily winding of the clock mechanism, I take care of checking the clock’s precision, setting daylight/solar time and further adjustments. And finally, I organize the semi-annual maintenance, cleaning, lubrication and greasing.

What technical challenges do you encounter in maintaining a mechanical clock that’s almost 500 years old?

The clock works extremely reliably and precisely. Only with strong temperature fluctuations is an adjustment necessary: when it’s cold, the clock goes faster; when it warms up, it slows down. This can be compensated by adjusting the pendulum length. Other important work includes setting daylight and winter time or correcting the date indication in leap years. If there are mechanical breakdowns, we call a specialized company that can carry out the work.

The Zytglogge is a symbol of Bern. How do you experience your role in preserving this cultural heritage?

It’s a great honor to be able to carry out this task and fills me with pride. The daily winding is a sort of lived culture. I would strongly oppose electrifying the clock; manual winding necessarily belongs to the clock.

In an era of digital technologies—how do you reconcile caring for historical mechanics with modern developments?

The clock is a perfect counterweight against the frantic development of our time. Everything works purely mechanically, without electricity, chips, AI, etc. I find this very beneficial. The encounter with the clock is an excellent balance to everyday life.

What projects or wishes do you have for the future of the Zytglogge and its conservation for future generations?

The clock will turn 500 years old in 2030. I hope this will be celebrated worthily in Bern. I hope that even more tourists, but also Bernese, will visit and admire the clock. Otherwise I don’t wish for changes. The mechanism should continue to work exactly as it has for another 500 years! As guardian of the Zytglogge, I hope for few breakdowns. And who knows: maybe one day my children will take my place, that would be beautiful.