About us:

The clock and watch museum is an exceptional private museum. It is managed by Jozef Op de Beeck and his daughter Elke, both restorers of antique clocks and watches. Since we occupy ourselves with clocks and watches on a daily basis, we have collected a large variety of timekeepers which we like to display to a broad public for over 30 years.

Elke en Jozef Op de Beeck

The museum is situated in an old mansion. The house dates from the 16th century and is called “De wildeman” which can be translated as madman or savage. The house once used to belong to the renowned painter Willem Geets. He had a workshop here. The renovation of the house was started in 1978 and ended in 1983. At that moment the museum was officially opened.

Clock and Watch Museum

The museum houses a permanent exhibition of a large variety of timekeepers. The eldest piece in the collection is a tower clock dating from about 1600. Furthermore, you can admire hourglasses, sundials, mysterious clocks, extraordinary pocket watches, top-quality wristwatches, grandfather clocks, table clocks, wall clocks, travel alarm clocks, etc. There’s also a lot to see: some antique tools used by clockmakers in the earlier times in their workplaces. Some of these tools are even now in the studio used for the restoration work. The museum can only be visited with guided tours (because you need some explanation to appreciate them fully) that are provided by Jozef or Elke themselves. The tours are available for groups and individuals. The explanation is adjusted to the target group (and we make sure that everyone gets the most out of his visit and each provides an explanation to size). The explanation is always adapted to the target audience. This can range from a group of pre-schoolers or elementary school children to specialist watchmakers. A guided tour takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. It can be provided in the following languages: Dutch, English, French and German.
Because the rooms in the mansion are quite small, the maximum amount of people in one group is 50. Please contact us in advance for a group visit. Individuals without reservation can visit the museum on Wednesday at 10.30 h and Saturday at 14.30 h. Simply ring the doorbell at the appropriate time to participate in the tour.


The following photographs give you a general idea of the museum.

Stairs Clock and Watch Museum Salon Clock and Watch Museum Mechelen Night clock

More photos can be viewed on photo gallery.