Father Time

About Us

Father Time Company is a small family-owned and operated business that grew out of two apprenticeships and a lot of good old-fashioned hard work.

When Paul Niess was a young man he apprenticed with Certified Master Clockmaker Herbert Greene. Later he apprenticed with Master Watchmaker Virgil R. Baker (AWI Certified/Graduate Master Watchmaker from Strutz Horological Academy 1945-1948)

After attending Chico State University and graduating with a degree in History, Paul Niess wanted to take a dream and turn it into a reality. With the support of his family and friends he opened Father Time Co. in Chico California. When the shop was opened there was a fully equipped clock and watch repair facility with 25 antique clocks and watches for sale. It was a dream finally coming true with a hope, and a prayer, that the business would be successful.

Things were slow at first. The lucky break came when the business was able to get its name out to the world via a guest spot on a famous national radio talk show. Several guest spots later… that lucky break is still paying off. Since then Father Time Co. has gone from being a small retail and repair business to a full scale restoration and repair shop (it still has a great selection of 18th and 19th century clocks and watches for sale).

They have carefully restored cherished heirloom time pieces for customers from California to New York, and many locations around the world. Paul Niess has worked on everything from a beloved grandmother's 1904 Kitchen Clock, a soldiers WWI wrist watch, Rolex and Patek Philippe wrist watches, Daniel Webster's fusee pocket watch, to Willard Banjo clocks, and all things in between and on either side of the spectrum. They also offer an in depth research and evaluation service which will help you to know all about your timepiece and its history!

The restoration shop is open 3 days a week to the public. This is in order to have uninterrupted time on the days that they are closed to work on restoration projects. Appointments can be scheduled for the days that they are closed in order to help those who cannot make it in to the shop during the work week. Please call 530-342-4236 to schedule an appointment if you cannot make it in during their regular office hours.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a global shortage of professional clockmakers. As a result, our shop and many others have a significant backlog of work. We appreciate your patience as we work through this. To help address this issue, we are pleased to announce that Nic Greene, an Apprentice Clockmaker, has joined our team.