The collection of Josef Nicolaus

Although well known in the horological world, clock and watchmaker Josef Nicolaus didn’t leave much of a paper trail. He lived a very secluded life seemingly focused on the horological craft in Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The only mention of him in the press was to inform readers of the sale of his 450-piece horological collection to the Vienna Clock Museum in order for him to buy coal to heat his flat in 1917. This technically interesting collection includes pieces created by Nicolaus, and others that he modified.