Hans Hilfiker

Early life Hilfiker was born in Zurich, Switzerland on 15 September 1901. After attending primary and secondary school, Hilfiker completed an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic. He studied electrical and telecommunications engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and gained a diploma.

Career Siemens Hilfiker began working for Albiswerk Zürich, a Siemens production plant in 1925. He was transferred to Argentina in 1926 and became technical advisor to the telecommunications troops of the Argentine Army until 1928. His tasks included building workshops and mobile telephone exchanges, while also training telecommunications non-commissioned officers. As a senior engineer, he was involved in the construction of the Buenos Aires - Rosario telephone line through the Paraná River in 1929. He planned a submarine cable running through the Río de la Plata to connect the Argentine and Uruguayan capitals in 1930. The same year, Hilfiker was transferred to Berlin and trained for the role of operating a Siemens subsidiary in Argentina. The plan however did not materialize and Hilfiker returned to Switzerland in 1931.

Swiss Federal Railways

Hilfiker joined the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) as an engineer in construction department III in 1932. In his first year, he developed the first iteration of the later iconic Swiss railway clock. The version which was first displayed at the Bahnhofplatz (plaza) adjacent of Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich Central Station) lacked the 'minute' and 'second' hands. Hilfiker would improve upon the design with the addition of a 'minute' hand in 1943. The following year, the SBB replaced all its clocks across the country in an effort to have a consistent clock face, which were all synchronized by a master clock linked to the telephone network. A prototype based on this standard was shown at the EXPO 1964 in Lausanne. Hilfiker created an actual corporate design for Therma and restructured the manufacturing processes for the new fitted kitchens.

Death and legacy Hilfiker died in Locarno, Switzerland on 2 March 1993. The final iteration of his clock remains in use today and is a protected trademark of the SBB.