# A dial with two holes and no hands left on it > A mantel clock with its hands taken off shows only two winding holes, each labelled with what it actually drives — a fact about clocks that most people never learn. August 21, 2026 · https://justog.club/stories/the-clock-you-were-shown-how-to-wind The face of a mantel clock, drawn large. No hands. No numerals. Just the dial and two winding holes, each with a short word engraved beneath it — `TIME` under the left, `STRIKE` under the right. A winding key lies at an angle beside the dial, not yet in either hole. Most people who own a clock like this never find out there are two separate jobs happening under that one face. ## Why does the clock need winding through two different holes? Because a striking mantel clock actually contains two separate mechanisms sharing one case, and each one runs down and needs winding on its own. One train of gears turns the hands and keeps time; a second, entirely separate train counts the hours and drives the chime. They run at different rates and use different amounts of spring, so they're wound through two holes rather than one, each feeding only its own mechanism. Wind just the left hole and the clock keeps perfect time in total silence. Wind just the right and it strikes the hour, correctly, on a clock that isn't actually telling anyone what hour it is. ## Why are the holes labelled `TIME` and `STRIKE` instead of left blank? Because the two holes look identical and drive completely different results, and a label is the difference between winding a clock correctly and guessing. Two round holes side by side give no visual clue which is which — you'd have to already know, or be shown, or wind one and listen for what happens. A short word under each removes the guessing without needing a diagram or a set of numbered steps: the mechanism names itself. ## Why are the hands removed from this drawing? So the clock can't tell you anything and can only be operated. With hands in place, a drawing of a clock face is mostly about the time it happens to be showing — a specific hour, chosen for the picture rather than for the mechanism. Strip the hands out and what's left is the part of the clock that actually requires a person: two holes, a key, and the decision about which one goes first. [A weekly wind that's built with a full day of slack in the schedule](/stories/he-winds-the-clock-on-sunday) is the same clock from the other side — this piece is about what the two holes are actually for, not about when the winding happens. ## Why does somebody get shown how to do this rather than just told? Because winding a striking clock wrong doesn't damage it, but it does produce a clock that keeps time and never chimes, or chimes and never keeps time — and neither failure explains itself. A demonstration once, standing at the dial together, covers both holes, the order that works best, and how far a key should turn before it stops. It's a small handover, done in person, of a piece of knowledge that a note propped against the clock wouldn't really convey — which hole is which is easy to write down; what the resistance in the key feels like when it's nearly wound is not. [A windowsill holding four small unfinished jobs](/stories/the-jobs-saved-up-for-your-visit) is the same instinct from the other side: some things wait for a visit rather than getting solved by a note. ## Does a two-mechanism clock like this need constant attention to keep running? No — once both sides are wound, the clock runs unattended for days before either train needs touching again. The demonstration is a one-off, not an ongoing duty. What's being handed over is the knowledge of how to do it correctly the next time it's needed, not a job that has to be done every visit. [Six instructions left on a worktop for looking after a house while somebody's away](/stories/the-instructions-left-on-the-worktop) covers the same kind of one-off knowledge transfer, for a different set of jobs. ## Do I need permission to print a clock face design? No — a plain dial with two labelled winding holes isn't owned by any manufacturer once it's drawn from scratch rather than copied off a real clock's branded face. A named clockmaker's own dial, carrying their printed mark, is theirs to license the way any company's branding is. This design carries no maker's name and reproduces no specific model — style has no owner, a particular clockmaker's work does. ## Does a dial like this print well? Yes, in two flat tones with the engraved lettering kept small and crisp rather than stylised. A blank dial with the hands removed is already an easy print: two clean circular holes, two short words, one angled key. The words need to stay legible at fabric scale rather than decorative, since the whole design depends on `TIME` and `STRIKE` actually being readable. ## How do I get one made? Describe the clock at [JustOG](/) — how worn the dial is, which way the key sits. Pick a direction, drag the crop frame, see it composited on the real garment, and it's made to order and shipped. Designs other people have published are in the [shop](/shop). Two holes, one key, and a clock that can't say what time it is until somebody sets the hands back on.