We are the royal clock keepers! Meet the palace experts with 850 timepieces to be wound this weekend

If turning back the clock tonight is a chore you’d rather avoid, spare a thought for the staff at Buckingham Palace.

Horological conservationists, as they are known, will spend more than 30 hours this weekend changing more than 350 timepieces at the King’s residence in London, in addition to 450 at Windsor Castle and another 50 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland.

But that’s only half the battle. In total, the Royal Collection Trust – the guardians of the priceless collection of art and antiques held by the sovereign on behalf of the nation – will have 1,600 items to customize as British summer time comes to an end.

The collection contains some of the finest examples of musical, astronomical, miniature and tower clocks in existence. They all need to be changed by hand to ensure they remain accurate.

Horological conservationists, as they are known, will spend more than 30 hours this weekend changing more than 350 timepieces at the King’s residence in London. Pictured: King Charles and Queen Camilla

A staff member adjusts a 19th century mahogany French mantel clock in the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Tjeerd Bakker, senior horological curator: ‘Clockmakers have been employed by the Royal House for centuries and it is a privilege to continue that tradition.

‘Visitors love that the clocks run and keep time; they are an important part of the experience of visiting the State Apartments in these working royal residences.”

Mr Bakker explained that the sole horologist at Windsor Castle will spend more than 18 hours adjusting the timepieces there. At Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace, a team of two takes a total of 16 hours.

A horological conservator adjusts an early 19th century French mantel clock in the Crimson Drawing Room at Windsor Castle

A staff member adjusts a late 17th-century walnut veneered clock by Joseph Windmills in the King’s Bedchamber at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh

Apparently it takes longer to turn back the clocks in the fall because not everyone can turn the hands counterclockwise.

The best practice is to stop these clocks and restart them an hour later. Meanwhile, the clocks in the kitchens of Windsor and Buckingham Palace are always set forward five minutes to ensure food arrives on time.

The oldest artefact in the Royal Collection is the Anne Boleyn clock, said to have been given by Henry VIII to his second wife on the morning of their wedding in 1532.

Horological Conservator at Buckingham Palace, changing the time on an 1838 wall clock by Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (1780-1854) made of marble

The Royal Collection Trust is a registered charity and department of the Royal Household. In the photo, a watch conservator adjusts a French mantel clock from the early 19th century

The smallest examples are the small bells in Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, which can be seen at Windsor Castle.

Made by Cartier, they are only inches high and have working movements, but because they require daily winding they are kept static to prevent unnecessary wear and tear.

The largest clock is the Quadrangle Clock at Windsor, which was built by Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy in 1829 and installed during George IV’s restoration of the castle. The diameter of the dial is seven feet.

One of the most important timepieces is the Queen Charlotte watch. This pocket watch was the first with a lever escapement and is the predecessor of almost all modern wrist and pocket watches.

One of the most complex clocks is an astronomical clock from the 18th century, purchased by George III.

It has dials on all four sides and can tell the time, indicate the phase of the moon, the day and the date, and show high and low tides at 32 ports around the world.

The Royal Collection Trust is a registered charity and department of the Royal Household. It is one of the last major European royal collections still intact.