I came into possession of a cheap "Made in China", mechanical alarm clock years ago. It was purchased sometime around 1976. Precision was never its strong suit; it keeps time the way a drunk uncle keeps a secret - loosely, approximately, with occasional lapses into nonsense. But hey, as long as it points me vaguely toward the hour, I'm content.
Around the turn of the millennium, though, things started to get interesting. The clock still ran, but its stamina had gone soft. A full wind used to last me a solid 24 plus hours. Now? It conks out before I even crawl into bed. The decline was gradual. Every night now, I have to reset the hands and give the winding knob a few twists.
