Most everyone has a desktop clock or a travel alarm clock hidden in some drawer waiting for their next holiday, or a flip clock or an assortment of digital clocks that don’t work.

Because desk clocks are small and relatively cheap, and a travel clock is used infrequently, they are often stored away or left without batteries and you end up relying on your computer to know the time.

But when the computers are switched off there is nothing quite like a digital wall clock to signal that it’s quitting time in the office, nor is there anything quite as practical as a large timepiece in the kitchen for those who cook.

Decorative clocks are more than decoration when they are in a home office or a kitchen or even in a children’s play area. Modern designs are large and clear enough to help children know when it’s bedtime, to help cooks time their cakes and to help workers know when to go home. The most common of these is the kitchen wall clock, however childrens clocks for bedrooms or basements designed as playrooms can help children learn to tell time and make sticking to routines easier.

Having large wall clocks near where the TV is set up can help family members become aware of how much time they spend watching TV and perhaps cut back. Table clocks in the dinning room or on a kitchen counter or kitchen island can be good for morning time when everyone is in a rush and need to know the time. Perhaps it can eliminate the numerous “Mum, what time is it?” calls every few minutes. One or two large timepieces in the hallway or near the entrance can also help you leave on time.

Digital wall clocks, especially those that are atomic or radio controlled that automatically keep the correct time, will be good for those busy people who sometimes forget to wind a clock and wake up one morning and have no idea what time it is.

Contemporary Wall Clocks and Neon

It doesn’t matter if you have a classic wood design or a contemporary décor in your home there are contemporary wall clocks that will work. Large wall clocks can be chrome and white modern clock designs or can even be a retro wall clock to go with a chic loft…or how about a bit of …neon…with neon clocks for light. A neon clock can be found in retro diner styles or a bear theme or even a futuristic blue glow.

Contemporary clocks like the Harley Davidson designs or even the neon “Don’t Worry Be Happy” novelty clocks can be wonderful for young people’s college apartments or dorms or even as feature in a basement or games room.

A contemporary wall clock that will be a talking piece as well is the Glowing 8 Ball Neon Clock or the retro COKE clock might be great for a 1950’s theme room.

This site is all about finding large wall clocks you will want to buy and a little about digital, antique and contemporary wall clocks that you may be searching for. I will also touch on atomic wall clocks and maybe help you find a funky digital number for your apartment. But first a little something about what is not a clock at all…

As a journalist in Southeast Asia, I was a bit of an oddball because I didn’t own a watch. All of my colleagues had watches, some which marked the hour in 3 different parts of the world. Some kept a watch permanently set to the hour of wherever “Home” was while others were constantly resetting the time as they traveled from place to place so as not to arrive late for a flight or a meeting or an important interview. And yet they were often caught “running behind schedule” as they called it. Yet, with not a single timepiece on my body, I usually arrived early. When asked how that was possible, I would look up at the sky and point to the sun. I would often think that it was by the sun, heavenly asteroids, satellites and stars that the human need to create demarcations in time originally was satisfied.

The absence of a watch on my physical person was not a reflection of any lack of appreciation for the extraordinary development of watches and clocks, nor did it reflect a slack attitude toward arriving on time, rather it was a gesture of silent protest against mobile timepieces that play a part in the world of “instant” “disposable” and “rushed”, which subtly has replaced patience, durable and relaxed. Which brings me to…

They were carefully crafted works of art, forged in metal with precious stones, carved in wood or housed in great wooden cabinets, adornments for mantels or incorporated into bell towers as part of architectural wonders that remain to this day. In fact, the word clock is derived from clagan and clocca meaning “bell”. For those who are clock lovers the word “clock” and the sound of tic-toc continues to arouse the excitement of a mechanism which acoustically announces an event; the ringing of a bell, the clanging of chimes or the thud of a gong.

Some of the most beautiful and ancient clocks were those that measured the direction of shadows cast by the sun and one of the most unusual ancient clocks was Chinese, powered by a waterwheel. Although there were early clocks in 13th century Europe, it wasn’t until the 17th century that European pendulum clocks became not only a very accurate means to measure time but a pattern for which the large wall clock of today would be modeled. At that time, clocks were handmade showpieces that represented the skill of talented craftsmen such as Christian Huygens and William Clement, famous for their pendulum clocks. Later John Harrison invented a clock that was accurate within 5 seconds over a 10 week period.

Clocks were not only European during this initial stage. In the United States, Eli Terry founded what is the American clock-making industry in 1797. These first clocks were housed in long cases to accommodate the pendulum and therefore known as “longcase clocks”, today simply known as grandfather clocks. It was from these clocks that the very large wall clock emerged. The floor model cases became smaller and smaller. Then the faces of the clocks began to be the focal point, often painted, embedded with gems or bits of glass and mosaic, or adorned in ornate wooden carvings that could be hung from the wall.
Large decorative wall clocks are not just decorative. The basic mechanism, to overly simplify clockwork, is that an object repeats the same motion over and over, be it an oscillator which converts vibrations into pulses, a pendulum and a weight suspended cord and pulley, a spiral spring or an electrical current that drives the regular impulses.

Clocks are classified by the type of time display, as well as by the method of timekeeping. An analog clock usually indicates time using angles while a digital wall clock displays numerals only. You can get wall clocks in both these styles without any trouble these days, both Online and in regular shops.

Originally all clocks were made by clockmakers, every piece handmade, and although nowadays they are produced in factories, the antique models often need repairs. Therefore, although clockmakers no longer MAKE clocks, they must know how to make the intricate parts in order to repair such fine ancient pieces. Clock making is not a totally lost art. Many people collect large antique wall clocks because they are not only beautiful but very valuable, especially if they are signed or marked as authentic by their makers. And just for the record, a clockmaker seldom has anything to do with watches.

Please follow me as I bring you articles about some extra large wall clocks, the wooden masterpieces in the Howard Miller line, some large outdoor wall clocks that can make your garden or patio distinctive in much the same way as yard windmills or a beautiful outdoor rug might. We’ll offer some tips about buying a digital wall clock, what are atomic wall clocks and the wide selection of contemporary wall clocks that are available to choose from online.

They are Large and often take the place of where you might otherwise hang a piece of art.

It is a common mistake to display large digital wall clocks or contemporary wall clocks (such as atomic wall clocks) in a room that is furnished in classic hardwood or wrought iron. A large wall clock, be it digital or other, should enhance the décor, blend with the furnishings, and not distract or become the focal point (unless it is an antique masterpiece or a replica such as the classic Howard Miller large wall clocks that are reproductions of master works).

So, if you have a modern apartment, loft or office and you prefer the clarity of digital numbers over the hands on a clock face, then you have a multitude of options, not only regarding style but also internal mechanisms.

• Quartz Clocks: These Wall Clocks are powered by a quartz crystal that generates a signal to control the speed of the clock. Quartz clocks are not the most accurate as they can be off by a second per day and are altered by changes in room temperature.
• Auto Setting Quartz Clocks: As the name implies they are also powered by a quartz crystal, however this more recent technology offers an additional integrated smart circuit that compensated for the inaccuracy of the quartz. It automatically adjusts the loss or gain and remembers little things like when to switch to daylight savings.
• Atomic, or Radio Controlled Clocks: Atomic clocks use vibrating molecules which are not radioactive as their power source. Because the end result is a regular pulse of exactly one second intervals it is considered the most accurate type of clock available. In the united states the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado transmits accurate time signals which your atomic, or radio controlled clocks receive and calibrate themselves daily. Since the transmission is by radio, weather and building construction may interfere with the signals. It is reported that the calibrations occur mostly at night. In general, weather permitting, atomic or radio controlled clocks automatically update themselves without any input from you.

One of the largest manufactures all three types of digital wall clocks is La Crosse Technology.