Moving pieces including figurines or ships or other parts can make a grandfather clock truly magical. The writer of this blog post is reminded of the amazing lock still in the Central Park Zoo, which every hour plays a wondrous chime and has different bronze animals rotate around the base of the clock. As a child, I found that clock truly amazing, and now, I don’t want to say exactly how many years later, I still find that magical timepiece, perhaps best termed a tower clock with automata, a marvel to behold.
Over the last hundreds of years, makers of some of the finest timepieces have created works of art, with everything from grandfather clocks to wall clocks to mantel clocks to pocket watches which have moving parts and pieces. Perhaps some of the most popular, not too surprisingly, have been erotic pocket watches, as they are generally termed. If not familiar with them, one could guess what some of the main candidates for the moving pieces might be on those watches. But that is not the focus of clock and watch history here.
Some wonder clocks will, for instance, have a ship that moves or rocks back and forth, sometimes but not always tied to the movement of the grandfather clock pendulum, and in that case generally moving in the opposite direction. Some clocks have moving planets and some feature the Earth’s moon rotating.
Over many centuries, grandfather clocks and other amazing timepieces – giant, large and small – have featured moving animals, including dogs and cats with tails wagging and mouths opening or eyes moving or tongues coming in and out. Clocks with skulls and animals, including owls, show eyes which may not only rotate back and forth, but may actually move to look at the time as it changes, using the eye movements as the clock’s time indicator. Music boxes and nested bells are not unusual in some of the more elaborate clocks automata.
Even one alarm clock, which is pictured below, and was made in the 1940s, shows that “the early bird gets the worm”, a clever alarm clock theme, and has the bird bobbing back up and down every second as the worm moves up and down toward the birds mouth.
Rotating moonphase dials or moon dials on grandfather clocks are another wonderful form of what might be termed lower tech automata. The dials make one complete rotation every 29 1/2 days, in keeping with the actual lunar cycle. In ancient times, these moondial or moonphase grandfather clocks were used by farmers to help them to plan not only for the planting of crops, but also for the harvesting of the fruits of their labors.
Even though this clock shows a still shot, one can see from the time delay aspect of the photo that both the bird, especially its tail, and the worm, have moved in this very short period of time.
We think that clocks with automata have a great future. We are especially excited about grandfather clocks and mantle clocks in this regard. If grandfather clock shoppers, or those seeking mantel clocks, including corporate gift and promotional products, have any ideas for specific clocks with an automata component, we would love to hear from you about any and all of your wall clock, mantel clock, grandfather clocks, alarm clock, wristwatch, or any other specific type of suggestion or request.
What does a busy Mom want most? We’re guessing more than a few votes would go toward a perfect day in bed — no work, no worries. We’re not saying you’re a headache, but … what mom wouldn’t love fresh flowers placed bedside in a novel vase? Or fine tea steeped in a clever gadget she can use for months to come? There is joy in the find that Mom might not buy for herself.
For ideas, click through our finds for that indulgent days of rest and relaxation:
PHOTO GALLERY: Mom's perfect day in bed
One pick not in the gallery: The Stress Ease Comfort Reader Pillow, designed by Dr. James B. Maas, a retired Cornell professor and sleep expert, and produced by United Feather & Down. It provides lumbar support with fill that is 90% gel fiber and 10% Tencel Lyocell, plus separate hot and cold attachments and -- most important -- no ugly wrap-around arms, like the kind found on so many reading pillows. It's $49.99 from Bed Bath & Beyond.
MORE SHOPPING:
A new Shop Central in Costa Mesa
The emerging scene in Highland Park
Uptown Design District in Palm Springs
Photos, clockwise from top left: Flat-packed vases. Credit: Unison. Dishwasher-safe stainless steel and silicone bag for loose-leaf tea. Credit: Eva Solo. Fleece Flounce pillow. Credit: Anthropologie. Stress Ease Comfort Reader Pillow. Credit: United Feather & Down.
What: The Venice Garden & Home Tour is a self-guided walking tour with 30 stops. A feature of this year's route will be the Gregory Ain tract, an architecturally significant enclave of 52 modest one-story homes from 1947.
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: The starting point is 804 Broadway St., Venice
Tickets: $60 in advance, $70 day of tour. Proceeds benefit the Neighborhood Youth Assn.'s Las Doradas Children's Center
Information: (310) 821-1857, www.venicegardentour.org
-- Debra Prinzing For an easy way to follow our garden coverage, join our Facebook page for gardening in the West. We also maintain a separate page for L.A. design and home life.
The Swiss watch industry wants to tighten requirements so that 80 percent of the value of the watch has to be made locally, rather than in countries like China. Anyone who has remodeled a kitchen or built an addition to a house knows that construction hardly ever passes like clockwork. It takes time — and in the case of a perfection-seeking architect whose dreams soared higher than his budget, lots and lots of time.
Architect Jon Frishman needed just two weeks to design his house but 10 years to build it. For his methodical approach and patience, Frishman’s reward is a three-story, 1,500-square-foot house in Laurel Canyon that is loaded with custom features at an off-the-shelf cost.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jon Frishman's house
By planning meticulously, acting as his own general contractor and knocking out projects bit by bit, the architect said, his expenses were about $150 a square foot, about half the amount often spent to build similar homes today.
His series of low-cost solutions started with his interpretation of the Los Angeles building code, which required covered parking for two cars. Rather than devote space to a two-car garage he didn't need, Frishman designed a one-car garage and an adjacent garden courtyard, which, thanks to a sliding front door that the architect installed and a retractable fabric awning that he has planned, can double as a carport.
Key choices were made in something as simple as the shower drain — square instead of round, making it easier to cut and lay the tile around it. Instead of buying a traditional skylight, the architect used plain laminated glass. For a modern fireplace with a custom look, he bought a prefabricated hearth and had it clad in aluminum. The flue? It's actually an irrigation pipe.A tankless water heater can be set to save energy when less hot water is needed, which helps to keep operating expenses low. The emphasis on managing costs did not come at the expense of personal passion. Frishman added finely tuned interior details that recall the levers, knobs and switches of classic sports cars. (“I think I'm a frustrated car designer,” he said.)
Unobtrusive air grilles in the house are akin to the side panel vents you might see in a luxury car or private jet. Kitchen cabinets have springs like the support struts for a car trunk, an aesthetic choice that also means smoother opening and closing of doors.
For the kitchen and bathrooms, Frishman installed domestically manufactured fixtures from Chicago Faucets.
“They are well-made and inexpensive,” he said, adding that bathroom faucet handles were positioned to the side of the counters, so one doesn't have to reach over the sink. “I like to take something very utilitarian and simple and use it in a different way.”
Recognizing that architecture, like other professions, has its ebb and flow, the man behind Frishman Architecture said he didn't mind that building his home took so long. “Persistence is all that I have. Failure is not an option.”
In the kitchen, the backsplash consists of drywall painted yellow and topped with a 1/16-inch piece of clear tempered glass, which is inexpensive, strong, easy to clean and heat resistant. Because modern designer faucets can run into four figures, Frishman bought industrial Chicago Faucet fixtures “in the $300 range”; in the kitchen, faucet knobs were placed near the front of the counter to eliminate the need to reach over the sink.
The skylight is a simple piece of laminated, tempered glass. “It’s durable and fire resistant,” Frishman said. “You can walk on it, and it’s easy to clean with a squeegee and less expensive than a prefabricated plastic skylight.” Seen through the glass: the fireplace flue made from an irrigation pipe.
A trellis system was Frishman’s alternative to large steel beams, which he feared would have encumbered the space and escalated costs. He collaborated with an engineer to develop the system of smaller supports that ultimately provided structural support at a lower price. Above the living room: A deck made of ipe wood outside the master bedroom.
To make the most of the house's relatively small footprint, stairs to the office on the lowest floor are accessed through a hatch that, when closed, is walkable.
The office walls have standard wood framing fitted with polycarbonate panels, inside and outside, which transmit light while still offering privacy and framing views. The polycarbonate provides less insulation than traditional walls, but radiant floor heating keeps the room comfortable in winter, and on the hottest days of summer Frishman has a shading device that covers the east-facing wall. “I have been looking for some type of bubble wrap to use an insulation,” he said, “but that is a work in progress.”
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-- Jeffrey Head
Photo, top: Frishman built the carport door using aluminum tubes for the frame. He chose glass that is patterned for privacy, tempered for strength and only 1/16-inch thick to keep weight and cost down. The track is standard rolling door hardware. “I would guess you could get a garage door fabricator to make one up for $2,000,” he said.
Photo credits: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
The market for rare and finely made vintage timepieces is booming but, as with all collectibles, there are risks. 
