A Craft of Future Past: Mastering Antiquarian Horology

Brittany Nicole Cox is one of the only antiquarian horologists in the world. She's basically a mechanic-a mechanic from the 17th century. Cox fixes old machines with watch or clock mechanisms inside them for a living. Often, these machines are missing parts that frequently no longer exist, so Cox fashions them herself. To visit her workshop is to see what the future looked like centuries ago, and while Cox's trade is laborious, time-consuming and incredibly intricate, she is preserving a magical part of humanity's past.
SUBSCRIBE: goo.gl/vR6Acb
This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.
Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: www.greatbigstory.com

[@james_bond1869]

super cool video. you guys are a gem here on KZbin

[@micheall1127]

James Bond a hidden one ;)

[@apereason3057]

Keep up the care you put into your videos! I have watched your videos in my classes multiple times since the beginning of the year, they are really a cool education tool!

[@james_bond1869]

@Micheal L yeah! they are very under rated, but you can tell they put in a ton of work finding good sources, making a great script/asking good questions, and getting great footage.

[@MEDKRATS]

To consistently and frequently put out good content on interesting topics and people, that educate and entertain us. Props to this channel!

[@beepot2764]

Very impressive and fascinating job. She seems like a person that I could listen to for hours.

[@yonatanmakara6856]

Robotics from the 1700 century. Im kind of interest lol. Peaked my mind

[@parkchimmin7913]

Yonatan Makara Lots of steampunk 😂

[@J4k7193R]

Yonatan Makara hope you enjoyed the movie HUGO

[@yassineechaddini2765]

Yonatan Makara did the same for me

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

*18th century/1700s

[@zhadoxx__dl6265]

Omg That’s why I’m hereeeee 😭😭😭

[@TeriyakiBoy]

I could not stop saying "wow" out loud multiple times while watching this particular video. WOW!

[@sarahpark1159]

this channel is so underrated

[@jarroddowalter]

Extremely inspiring! You can tell how much she loves her craft.

[@micheall1127]

wow that room has alot of personality

[@Romanak0]

2:10 looks like straight out of movie, this is an awesome video and shows the beauty of Antiquarian Horology not seen anymore.

[@melisasanchez6021]

My dad doesn’t have a degree but he’s been rebuilding antique player pianos and music boxes for over 40 years. He’s 82. He’s currently fixing an antique bird cage that has 3 singing birds. And he also just makes missing parts himself. We just never knew there was an official title.

[@ericohara2582]

Wonderful, I have to look at this repeatedly to take in what Brittany says without being distracted by the workshop that surrounds her. The mellow, aged machine tools and special items are utterly fascinating. Here in the UK I have a Myford and tools from a gentleman that had a WW1 RFC history. I feel privileged to use his items every day in my workshop. Brittany's workshop has that over and over.

[@musical.0uija]

I love her. I've always had an obsession for mechanical clocks, musical boxes, and automatons. People just thought I was weird, they don't see how fascinating it is.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

It's annoying how expensive these devices are when they do show up for auction.

[@millennialthatplaysfortnit4608]

​@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017yup lol

[@Fasepalm_]

This is the best channel and I always laugh when I see these as adds because I've already watched them!

[@DigitalicaEG]

I love this channel! Where can I pay to get more content with longer documentaries??!

[@DigitalicaEG]

Great Big Story awesomeness! How can I support you guys?

[@allennguyen3287]

thank you Great Big Story staff to bring these story to life. Please don't go down the path that buzzfeed once did...

[@tgarcia247]

You're amazing, I love to see people who love their work. Bravo

[@stemikger]

Brittney is an amazing person and I got to communicate with her through Instagram. Not only is she incredibly smart and beautiful, she is so kind. I have an innocent old man crush on her and she is always so nice to respond or just add a little smile. Her kindness really shines through. She is also in several documentaries. She chose the road less traveled and followed her passion, we are all the beneficiaries of watching her do what she does. It really is magic. I like to think of her as the Goddess of Horology

[@shadowowner6485]

This channel is amazing, I always learn something new with these videos and feel inspired to follow my heart no matter how weird or different my passion is :)

[@wonderingperson3519]

Thank you for the education that i got from here!! Waiting for all the gems you will post in the future!!

[@syrenawebb2605]

This is so neat! I'm glad that there are specialized people like this who are preserving these mechanisms if the past. I really like antiques and such, so it makes me happy that someone finds joy in preserving such relics for future generations. 💜

[@chadrutkowski8078]

Brittany simply amazing!!!! i have a great love for Horology, i studied in my high school three years. its a small world and its only getting smaller for those of us that have the true love for Horology. well done:) thank you Chad

[@heatherkaye8653]

I NEED more of this person! What an interesting job.

[@Zattack19]

Again this channel reminds me of both the amount of skill those who came before us had and that much of that skill has been lost to time

[@michaelwisdom1422]

I am glad to see you doing this, I am an old clock and watch man and enjoy fixing complicated watches and etc. in Arkansas not many of us left. Mike Wisdom

[@TomHaneyArtwork]

Great video - it's inspiring for me to learn about her passion. Glad to know there are people still studying this older technology, (especially if one of my pieces ever need repair). Congrats Brittany Nicole!

[@briangarrow448]

A fascinating person and a noble career. Kudos and salutations to her!!

[@Jasongy827]

Brian Garrow it's quite sad, most of her stuff comes from 1700s- 1850s horology itself is a dying art. It's amazing how I have some pocket watches during the early 1900s still works. They were made with pure metal brass, gold, and even breguet hairbspring. I love horology it's a history of almost 600 years essentially those watches helped sailors navigate the sea. And explode of exploration.

[@j.ace.7162]

This is the amazing stuff I find while digging through random thoughts and interests that pass me by.

[@corndog3164]

Women are so incredible. This is so inspiring to me!! I want my daughter to grow up watching videos like this one.

[@VitorMadeira]

Precious. Thank you for this discovery and share. Regards from Portugal.

[@JorgeCDiez]

Wonderful and magic job, Mrs.Nicole Cox!

[@Vanessa-gs9mj]

Brittany is so cool! I wish there was a series about her!

[@RookieN08]

Steampunk era is easily one of the most underrated genre in video-game and movie industry. It's getting really tiring how entertainment industry is now over-saturated by futuristic sci-fi technology.

[@arthurdent6256]

The problem with Steampunk is that it's kind of hard to do. It's easier to speculate about the tech we don't have than it is to adapt existing technology in a way that makes sense.

[@kvlt-punk]

Arthur Dent the anime Steamboy did a pretty good job but I agree with what you said!

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

@@kvlt-punk thanks for the recommendation m8

[@reignofthepacifist4886]

I would love see more of all the kinds of clocks and mechanisms. I am amazed. Sincerely.

[@TheMichaelGrace]

Beautiful work!

[@unaanguila]

Wow! She's so cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@ZeroFace]

I want that job. Been fixing stuff like that for fun since I was little

[@emptyname12345]

Gibran You just happened to have 17th century automata lying around your house as a child?

[@emchen9477]

emptyname12345 no, it was probably clocks or music boxes

[@Horologica]

I want this job too!, always been obsessed with the mechanisms in music boxes

[@grahamekellermeier8280]

Brilliant person an antiquated horor oligist, great video keep up the good work.

[@bunnybgood411]

Absolutely fascinating.

[@araezpi]

This is just amazing!

[@ianharris3933]

Excellent video. Wonderful skills. I see you studied at West Dean. I used to go there for the AHS meetings every month. A wonderful location and place to study.

[@hoibintang8194]

This is Fascinating!

[@Laurilue13]

This is incredibly cool.

[@manny3655]

Greatest gig EVER!

[@huda2379]

amazing

[@gozu9455]

amazing work

[@prathameshgholap8]

Speechless! Marvelous!

[@androidedoidao]

this could be a wes anderson's movie

[@10bouvier]

So I read about you in the Feb. 2021 issue of NatGeo. Find this, and stunned. I went to electronics school as a kid to work on small ot tiny things and still love to do it today. I would pay to hang out in that shop!

[@ericlawrence9060]

WOW ... Great video... great human.

[@jaygolchha]

बहुत ही सुंदर , It's Amazing . 😊😊😊👍

[@javierbarajas8525]

Very cool...

[@donnawalker3910]

Fascinating!

[@BORIRADIO]

You are super cool... I fix watches/bench jeweler, I love it!!!

[@thenaxx5398]

One of the best ones

[@andrewfraser8615]

So incredible.

[@BS-wh8sg]

what an exciting work greetings from México city☺👌👌

[@alemihe]

That is so amazing. 🙂

[@ramthevar]

most amazing job so close to ur heart

[@GrahamsYouTube]

We look at the future for amazing technologies, I think we need to look back more, this is mindblowing

[@kathryncarter6143]

Totally amazing. Wish I could fix the music box in my childhood teddy bear. Played, who's afraid of the big bad wolf. One of my kids turned it too tight & now it's stuck.

[@SMFJose]

Great video

[@Realpacotaco]

sooo cool!!

[@Josias647]

Beautifull. Maravilhoso. From Brasil

[@iliketrains3601]

She is so fascinating.

[@matthewcondon1985]

Brittany, you are amazing!!!

[@EndlessMediaLLC]

Another unique story dug up by the Great Big team. How do you keep doing it!? Nice job!

[@lawrencetiffany]

Intriguing!

[@buzzufy]

i love your job :) I wish you good luck

[@nanih.]

That's amazing. Man that is cool

[@nickb816]

And she lives in Seattle! So Cool!

[@user-bm6bh1mv3n]

I love GBS!

[@hashidatackey8758]

I want do this now!!

[@burghandyb375]

Very very interesting

[@Spiritbeanxox]

0:20 THATS THE CAFE FROM IZOMBIE LOL WHEN THE VERY HAPPY LADY CAFE OWNER WORKED

[@Kofi.86]

I like it.nice job career. that's awesome

[@pfcwar5150]

Outstanding….

[@hoppend]

Love it

[@Longformula]

Really nice I have such a sensitive little brAin And while I do enjoy the movie Chicken Run where the chickens escape the concentration camp-esque farm..... It is always nice to come across videos like this when most of the world sounds are too harsh on my brain. I'm sure I'll come back to watch this again just as I go to visit Avner the clown in similar moments

[@andrewyork3869]

Man I wish she would do a shop tour, would love to see her tools of trade.

[@cobalt1754]

So she's like a 17th century steampunk sorceress? Wicked.

[@MrNeeonee]

fantastic , you have got my dreamjob☺ I love clock mechanisms. I wish you would be in Brisbane, Australia. I would book every lecture.

[@chowtownfoodreviews6679]

I'm a tool Maker and wow that's crazy...that lathe it's nuts

[@jordanrenaud-pq7rx]

Greetings from fellow clockmaker R.J.Renaud in Canada

[@frylock6403]

its beautiful

[@kasvinimuniandy4178]

uwaaa.. awesomeness...

[@adriancreates3086]

What an inspiring woman ^^

[@juannele1339]

Hats off Madam

[@etiblmca9267]

Ever since I was young I've always looked for a mechanical career similar to hers but I could't find one and I guess it's so damn rare that there's no point in needing a career like that.

[@DanDan100ism]

Must be a hugely satisfying job.

[@Jasongy827]

She inspires me to go into horology! Amazing!

[@spazz99ful]

I'm a watchmaker, and i think i love her.

[@RazsterTW]

Well I didn't know there was a name for this. I enjoyed helping my grandmother fix her old mantle clock, using a piece of sheet brass to make a broken arm. Maybe this is what I need to do in life. Maybe 3D scan the objects for later reproduction.

[@prince-solomon]

Master Kagrenac would be proud of her!!!!

[@jamesthomas1244]

This is way cool.

[@melodyrdz.9421]

Wow I would love to meek this lady, I love antique things.

[@danielcuevas5899]

This is an art.

[@clockguy2]

All horologists are Antiquarian Horologists. She just specializes in conservation. A good horologist makes parts they can't buy. Many do not repair some things because it is above their skill set and some because they have too much of the common work to do. I restore an odd antique piece every once in a while just to remember why I got into this trade. Tooling is a big problem for the beginner because they are expensive and often scarce. I have spent years collecting tools and books and still don't have all the answers.

[@iTechyounot]

My love for time pieces brought me here. So much to learn , but I however would not do repairs myself. I’m not a patient man and that’s my biggest downfall. I do respect those who do. Very delicate work here. Keep up the good work.

[@alexissmith5055]

What a beautiful mind this woman has..

[@amysifuentes55]

Super rad

[@postholedigger8726]

How can you find a school that offers this as a major? Every year of so I hear of another watch school closing. david

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

You could get a certification in watchmaking and then get further education in machining for the practical side. Lots of watchmakers are self-taught or apprenticed with someone.