Helio from Spain
Gentlemen, I have two suggestions
1) Sometimes to solve the problem of a clock is necessary another watch.
kkkkkkk, wwwwww, uuuuuu, vvv, xx, qqqq, jjj…..The final letters of the alphabet are too numerous, he has used unusual characters, it seems the result of a polyalphabetic cipher with 2 disc, something like a clock.
I Remember, given a section of English language, E, T, A and O are the most common, while Z, Q and X are rare.
2) Where was Jim Sanborn in the 80s? Does he had a German friend?
Erich John (6 February 1932) is a German Designers who became internationally known for the design of the Urania World Clock on Alexanderplatz in Berlin.
In 1982 he was appointed to the Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio), Department of Industrial Design, as a visiting professor.
Source (in german): http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_John
There a possible way that Jim Sanborn can personally know and interact with him in Ohio or other place of the United States in the eighties.
But this is more difficult to confirm.
Maybe some of the readers may say something about this assumption
Bye
JSP.