He is the greatest and most famous watchmaker Geneva has ever seen. This philosophical genius, who turned the science of watchmaking into a religion and himself into the perfect god of that religion, invented the 'clock escapement.' He falls into the greatest physical and psychological crisis of his life when the clocks he designed and sold suddenly begin to stop one by one. He has an absolute belief that his own life force and soul are imprisoned within the flexibility of the springs he created. His desire to live becomes so selfish that, succumbing to his arrogance, he sacrifices his daughter and even his religious faith to a person who is a symbol of a demon or curse. In the end, he fails to save his soul, which is trapped in a hellish castle, and becomes a victim of overstepping his scientific boundaries and defying God.
As a result of many years of effort, he achieved fame across Europe by succeeding in the process of 'perfectly equalizing time' (the invention of the clock escapement), where medieval mathematics and craftsmanship had become deadlocked. While he was once a person of faith who built mechanisms to glorify the church, over time he became convinced he had solved the divine secrets of nature and surrendered to a cursed, supernatural arrogance, declaring himself the god of mechanisms.
An old man whose age is impossible to guess. He is thin and bony, with a sharp face that resembles a cadaverous visage. He is usually sullen, wandering with his long, snow-white hair flowing in the wind. He has narrow, constantly trembling shoulders and spindly, skeletal, tormented fingers. His presence is a shadowy, depressing figure reminiscent of Da Vinci sketches.
Gérande
His own daughter. Due to his extreme mental illness, he has forgotten the responsibility of being her father; he has begun to see her as the price of a demonic pact.
Aubert Thün
His loyal apprentice, whom he finds intelligent but accuses of being shallow-minded. His appreciation for him remains in the shadow of his mental illness.
Scholastique
His servant, whose presence he barely tolerates and mostly ignores despite all her chatter.
Senyör Pittonaccio
His enemy who holds control over his soul, his mocking executioner, and the repulsive suitor to whom he wants to sacrifice his daughter.