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.

A novelty clock that has a thin skeleton visible may also make great children’s clocks and there are many different styles to choose from, like the Maple’s Sales Solid Brass Skeleton Mechanical Clock With Pendulum available from Sears for about $130 that features polished brass turning gears and natural wood skeleton, or the River City Clocks Burl Wood Skeleton Clock for just over $130 from Amazon, or the Hermle Table Clock, 14-day Skeleton Dome Anniversary Clock from Edmund Scientifics for just under $200, which is very unique because it is encased in a clear glass dome to showcase the full inner workings of the gears, pendulum and chimes.

There’s also a great piece for the mantle called the Mantel Skeleton Clock by Loricron that has a wrought Iron frame and an antique brass dial with Roman numerals and has a single bell strike movement for under $170.

For something really different there’s the River City Black Column Rosewood Silver Dial Skeleton, cuckoo clocks sold by Ambient Weather for about $120, or the brass Skeleton Mantle Clock with a swinging pendulum for $170 available from Shop of Clocks, or the mahogany Arch Skeleton Clock for just over $100.

These skeleton clocks take on many different forms like chiming clocks and even retro wall clocks or antique clocks with musical clock themes. Some are also clocks alarm styles and many are high-end designer clocks that use the inner workings as masterful pieces of art.

Most skeleton clocks will incorporate some part of a rhythm clock or use the internal beauty of chime clocks to be part of the skeleton’s details. Large wall clocks that take the form of a skeleton are very strange because many are long and thin or almost invisible because the mechanism may appear to blend into the wall like the Kassel Skeleton Wall Clock by Kassel which is available through Amazon for about $80.

These skeleton’s are really fun clocks with a lot more personality than ones that are all encased because the way clocks move and how the gears and chimes and pendulums operate is not only fascinating to watch but are made of beautiful and strange shaped pieces that are very decorative. If you’ve never seen one of these clocks I recommend taking a look and considering teaching your children how clocks operate by using them as childrens wall clocks.

I think they would be a good idea in schools instead of those ugly large wall clocks that look so industrial. But if you hope to find a kids wall clocks by typing in Kids skeleton wall clock into a search you will be sorely disappointed to find only clocks that have pictures of skeletons on them. The best clocks for kids are those that are novelty wall clocks for adults that you decide will be used for a child’s room.

To give you a little laugh, in the 1790’s, Simon Willard’s extravagant and exclusive creations were considered expensive at 60 dollars! It said that he priced his clocks expensively enough so as to allow his clients to just barely be able to afford to furnish their homes after buying one of his clocks. And not just anyone could buy. He personally interviewed his potential clients. He was also one of the first to offer a one year guarantee. An odd promise considering his clocks, after more than 200 years, are still ticking.

Although he was famous for his gallery or “banjo” clocks, he is one of the first to scale down the intricate mechanism of the floor model clocks with cabinets into ones that could be hung on walls, which made them less expensive. Don’t laugh too hard.

A couple pieces of clock trivia:

1. Simon Willard was responsible for all clocks at Harvard College.
2. His clocks are now valued between $50,000 and $250,000.

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Another famous clockmaker from the 19th century was a German, Gustav Becker, who primarily became famous for his weight driven Regulator wall clocks. His large wall clocks are now priced at anywhere from $500 to $5,000 and up. Although Gustav Becker ended his clock making career with his death in 1885, Junghans Company continued making his signature wall clocks and Lenzkirch, Hamburg American, Clock Company continues in the present day.
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If you are searching for authentic large antique wall clocks you may find help from Mr. Richard Oliver the owner of The Antique Clocks Guy. He may be reached by telephone at 760-604-0262.
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Popular Models of Contemporary Large Wall Clocks and their Prices:

Gazer Mirror Wall Clock - $48.99

Antiqued Chester Clock With Pendulum - $59.99 to $73.19

Atomic Electric Wall Clock - $39.99

Radio Controlled Cherry Wall Clock – $99.99

Thermometer and Wall Clock Combination - $45.99 to $57.99

Faux Brushed Nickel Finish – $87.99