Looking for the name of a short story I read at least 20 years ago, and was likely older. Never subscribed to the magazines, so would have been in a compilation at some point.

The background is that the (country? World?) became obsessed with time, to the point where there was a revolt and clocks were banned.

The protagonist is a school pupil who repairs a watch, and uses it to predict the end of class buzzer, and gets caught. Not sure if he's exiled or chooses to leave.

He goes to a city and ends up repairing clocks with someone he finds. He eventually goes off on his own and repairs a large clock in a tower - I was reminded of Big Ben but don't think that was explicit.

The clock chimes and he is caught and arrested.

I remember in the end he is in a cell with a clock. At first he's delighted, but it ends with something like "it was three days before he noticed the ticking."

Ring any bells for anyone?

Looking for the name of a short story I read at least 20 years ago, and was likely older. Never subscribed to the magazines, so would have been in a compilation at some point.

The background is that the (country? World?) became obsessed with time, to the point where there was a revolt and clocks were banned.

The protagonist is a school pupil who repairs a watch, and uses it to predict the end of class buzzer, and gets caught. Not sure if he's exiled or chooses to leave.

He goes to a city and ends up repairing clocks with someone he finds. He eventually goes off on his own and repairs a large clock in a tower – I was reminded of Big Ben but don't think that was explicit.

The clock chimes and he is caught and arrested.

I remember in the end he is in a cell with a clock. At first he's delighted, but it ends with something like "it was three days before he noticed the ticking."

Ring any bells for anyone?