Chekhov quote about chasy?

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

I¹m forwarding a question from a colleague.

1. does anyone know this quote?
2. If so, is it clear whether Chekhov meant Œclock¹ or Œwatch¹?

Best Wishes,

Robert

------ Forwarded Message
From: Katy Derbyshire <katy at interalia.de>


I'm translating a foreign rights catalogue for a German publisher, which I
love doing. I like to read the book blurbs out loud in my most pretentious
voice to test whether I've hit the spot. Anyway, one of them contains this
little gem: 


Happiness is hard to find. But the real question is: how long can happiness
last? As long as it takes to wind a watch, says Chekhov.

The problem is, a brief search has not confirmed this whole
Chekhov/happiness/watch/clock thing. German only has one word (Uhr) for
watch and clock, so it could be either. Are there any experts on the list
who could help me find the right words?

Many thanks, 

Katy 


------ End of Forwarded Message


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