Contact: Victoria Lupica
Phone: 215-937-5424
E-mail: victoria.lupica@phl.org

For Immediate Release: March 3, 2011

Beer Bottle Clock Stops Passersby at Philadelphia International Airport

Uniquely crafted timepiece features 300 Yuengling lager bottles

PHILADELPHIA – Rick Stanley was just 4 years old when he took apart a clock for the first time, curious to know what made it tick. That early fascination with timepieces carried over into a shared vocation with his son, Vince, as a designer and builder of very unusual mechanical clocks. One of Stanleys' creations, the "Beer Bottle Clock," is 21 feet long and features 300 recycled Yuegling lager bottles that function as the clock's gear teeth. The impressive, captivating work is on display through August at Philadelphia International Airport in Terminal A-West.
 
"In recent times, the mechanical clock has almost been entirely replaced with digital clocks, which are very accurate but do not have the visual intrigue and history of the mechanical clocks," notes Rick Stanley, who along with his son owns Stanley Clockworks near Bloomsberg, PA. "I try to introduce the wonder of the mechanical movements. I build the clocks very large with the workings exposed and use everyday items so people can relate to these clocks and observe how they work."
 
While extraordinary mechanical timekeepers like cuckoo clocks are more conventional, the Stanleys' creativity challenges the imagination. Their "Walking Clock" is 24 feet in length and features 12 shoes that keep time by marching back and forth more than 2,700 miles a year. The "Train Clock" depicts the front of a large steam locomotive along with a smaller model train that encircles its outer ledge every hour.

  

 
The "Beer Bottle Clock" concept was similar in origins to the other unusual clocks the Stanleys have designed and built.
 
"It was important to us to use materials that one does not normally associate with clocks; look at raw material, or resource, in a completely different light and use it in an unexpected way," Rick Stanley explains. "Vince and I brainstormed and came up with the idea of using bottles for the gears. This naturally led to the idea of using recycled bottles. Another criterion was to use local materials. Yuengling is located in Pennsylvania and is America's oldest brewery. The framework for the clock is made from oak timbers harvested locally and left natural."
 
Rick and Vince Stanley both hold degrees in mechanical engineering. Although their technical backgrounds are shared, the father and son each have a unique approach to their craft, which meshes very well in turning out one-of-a-kind creations.
 
"Vince and I share in the initial ideas and design of the clocks we build and we have enough ideas sketched out to last us for the next 20 years," Rick says. "Vince has a thoughtful and scientific approach to building the clocks. He designs them on the computer and draws them to scale. He resolves any problems then, and from the detailed drawings, he builds the clock. I follow a different path from idea to finished product. I make loose sketches of my ideas and then I build a prototype of the clock. I make changes to the prototype and when I have the design issues worked out, I then construct the finished clock."
 
The Stanley clocks have been displayed at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, PA, and the Reading (PA) Public Museum. The Stanleys contacted the Airport for a potential exhibit.
 
"Some mechanical clocks can be intriguing, but a 21-foot long clock with 300 beer bottles as gear teeth is incredible," said Airport CEO Mark Gale. "The workmanship is fantastic. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to present this unusual timepiece as part of our Exhibitions Program."
 

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