When shopping for grandfather clocks, one needs to keep in mind the alternate terminology for grandfather clock, such as floor clocks, longcase clocks, tall-case clocks, grandmother clocks, and, yes, sometimes even hall clocks.

So perhaps it is not too surprising that when talking about table clocks or desktop clocks or shelf clocks, all of which can be used reasonably synonymously, there is also the term mantel clocks that is used perhaps most commonly.  Even of more interest and relevance is that the term mantel clocks is spelled just about as frequently as mantle clocks.  Both spellings are about equally popular, and are used both in North America as well as Western Europe with both spellings.  We used to think that mantle clocks was simply a more European spelling for mantel clocks, but careful study and observation suggests both clocks terms have taken hold across a wide swath of geographical locations.

Which term do you find to be most descriptive for this category of clock – table clock, desktop clock, shelf clock or mantle-mantel clock?  We like all and have just somehow assumed that the mantel-mantle clock nomenclature, which seems to be the standard according to most manufacturers of high quality clocks.  What’s your opinion?  Which term best reflects this.  Don’t forget about bracket clocks too!  The bracket clock is a term which we believe was reasonably standard in England during the 1700s and 1800s and early-mid 1900s.  Of course there was-is also the term tambour clock, also known as a Napoleon’s Hat clock, for those with that special design.  While we use the terms bracket clocks and tambour clocks frequently, especially when referring to antique clocks.  Yet we rarely hear American customers, especially those shopping for new grandfather or wall or mantel clocks use the alternate type of clock speak noted above.

And how about wall clocks?  There are gallery clocks, railroad station clocks, atomic wall clocks which are also know as radio controlled frequency clocks, not to mention the specialty wall clocks including cuckoo clocks and wall skeleton clocks.

Let us know which term for tabletop or desktop clocks most speaks to you.  Should we stick with the mantel clock and mantle clock variation, or be more bold and trendsetting in the clock industry.

Dent and Company is perhaps best known for designing the Tower Clock in England’s Houses of Parliament, that has become known over the years as Big Ben (which is actually the name of the Bell in the Clock Tower).

Dent also made bracket clocks and wall clocks, though we see very few of them for sale.  Antique Grandfather Clocks by Dent also no doubt exist, though we believe they are quite rare as we can’t remember the last time we saw an original of  Dent Grandfather Clocks.

Pocket Watches by Dent are of extraordinarily high quality and were made in some large numbers.  The Dent family spanned several generations in clocks and pocket watch making.

The history of Dent & Co. spans three centuries of precision watch and clock making in Great Britain. Established in 1814 by (the very first) Edward J. Dent, the company embraced the Victorian fervor for technological innovation and created precision chronometers to navigate the Royal Navy and guide some of the most intrepid explorers on their voyages. The British Empire was in full expansion and its maritime tradition had produced some remarkable technological breakthroughs from the late 18th century; John Harrison’s triumphant mechanical solution in 1764 to locate a ship’s position at sea won the coveted Board of Longitudes prize money and further consolidated Britain as the horological force in the world.  Propelling the impetus of Britain’s primacy, Dent proved a key player in Victorian horological history manufacturing the Standard Clock at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich which was to keep “Greenwich Mean Time”  the time to which all others in the Empire were referred, (better known today as G.M.T.) and continued to do so until replaced by an electronic clock in 1946.  Dent also made probably the most famous clock in the world – the Great Clock for the Houses of Parliament, familiarly known as Big Ben.

A Chronology of Dent Family Business Premises – all locations are in London, England

1826   E.J.Dent, 43 King Street, Long Acre

1830   Arnold & Dent, 84 Strand

1840   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand

1843   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street

1847   Edward J. Dent, 82 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street & 34 Royal Exchange

1851   Edward J. Dent, 61 Strand & 33 Cockspur Street & 34 Royal Exchange

1853  Frederick Dent, 61 Strand & 34 Royal Exchange

1853   Richard Edward Dent, 33 Cockspur Street

1856   Frederick Dent, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1857   M. F. Dent, 33 Cockspur Street

1861   Dent & Co, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1861   M. F. Dent, 33 & 34 Cockspur Street

1864   E. Dent & Co, 61 Strand, 34 & 35 Royal Exchange

1886   E. Dent & Co, 61 Strand, & 4 Royal Exchange

1897  E. Dent & Co Ltd, 61 Strand, & 4 Royal Exchange

1904   M. F. Dent, 34 Cockspur Street

1920   E.  Dent & Co Ltd (consolidation M. F. Dent), 61 Strand, 4 Royal Exchange & 34 Cockspur Street

1921   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 61 Strand, 4 Royal Exchange & 28 Cockspur Street

1936   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 41 Pall Mall & 4 Royal Exchange

1941 – 1977   E. Dent & Co Ltd, 41 Pall Mall

Dent & Co. also acquired a range of titles and appointments. They include:

Makers to and holders of Royal Warrants from Her Majesty Queen Victoria and H.R.H. Albert, Prince of Wales, His Majesty King Edward VI, His Majesty King George V,  Her Majesty Queen Mary, His Majesty Tsar Alexander III, His Majesty Tsar Nicolas II Emperors of Russia and His Majesty Emperor Mejii of Japan.  Makers to the Courts and Governments of France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Germany, Spain, the United States, Japan and no doubt many others.

Grandfather Clocks and Grandmother Clocks — do you carry both?  What is the difference?  Why in your clocks store do you list some grandfather clocks as both a grandfather clock and a grandmother clock?  Can a big long wall clock be considered a grandmother clock, or does it need to be freestanding?  The above are questions we get every day and there is a lot of confusion about the similarities and differences between grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks.

Adding to the confusion, our experience is that if you have ten grandfather clocks  experts in a room to clarify the distinctions defining a grandfather clocks and a grandmother clock, you may get 15-20 different opinions.  There is absolutely no universal agreement on a definition of what defines a grandmother clock vs. a grandfather clock.  Nevertheless, we will share here our perspective on the differences between the two kinds of these floor clocks.

First, grandmother clocks and grandfather clocks are both Floor Clocks.  They must be freestanding, and while they may be adjacent to a wall, or even anchored to a wall for protection against tipping over (a critical baby-proofing and “young-kind proofing” necessity in our view), they stand up on their own base, which is the bottom of the clock.

The height of the floor clock is by far the single most distinguishing and defining characteristic and criterion for whether any clock is a grandmother clock or a grandfather clock.  We use a height of 80 inches (sometimes up to 82 inches depending upon the style of the floor clock) as the very rough guideline and dividing line below which a clock may be called a grandmother clock.

Floor clocks that in our view are “short enough” to be considered or classified as grandmother clocks are still included on our own website with the descriptive term grandfather clock.  While we recognize this confuses some or our grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks shopping customers, and we get calls about it from time to time from people who are confused, we do not want to make the presentation of clocks more confusing by listing the same EXACT clock as BOTH a grandmother clock and a grandfather clock.

Howard Miller Clocks offers the biggest selection of grandfather clocks that quality for both of these clocks categories.  We offer great discounts on these clocks, as we do for all the high-end discount grandmother clocks and grandfather clocks on sale.

We hope this adds value and to the knowledge base of discount grandfather clocks and those looking for grandmother clocks on sale, and deciding between the two types of floor clocks.

GrandfatherClocks for Sale? We are all used to seeing For Sale signs for just about everything, including Grandfather Clocks.  But how one presents the item for sale, whether it is a house, an apartment for sale, an automobile, or one of any of a number of homer decor or interior decoration items, how it is presented is critical.

Does seeing GrandfatherClocks for Sale make you focus more on the selling proposition than seeing Grandfather Clocks for Sale? It may sound like a silly wordsmith distinction, but timepiece companies as well as almost all corporations selling to consumers and businesses spend a lot of time and money getting the words just right, whether they are selling on line in in bricks and mortar stores or even catalogs.

How about GrandfatherClock for sale vs. Grandfather Clock for Sale.

What about GrandmotherClocks for Sale in place of Grandmother Clocks for Sale.

Or what about FloorClocks for Sale instead of Floor Clocks for Sale.

Or what about HallClocks in place of Hall Clocks.

I myself have always had trouble distinguishing between tallcase clocks and tall case clocks, as well as longcase clocks and long case clocks – but that is based more on a cultural divide between British and American linguistics.

On these seemingly nonsensical distinctions, cottage industries are built on finding the best terminology that can in fact make a big difference in investment decisions and advertising.  If this all seems a bit nonsensical to you, it does as well to us. But believe it or not, we need to factor stuff like this into our advertising and public relations strategy time and time again.

Have you ever seen a piece of jewelry in the shape of a grandfather clock?  A pin with a wall clock? What about a solid 14k gold pendant of the Big Ben Tower Clock of London to wear on a necklace (I own one of those, actually)? Watches as earrings, particularly from the Art Deco Watches period.  Or what about gears from clocks and watches being used as parts for jewelery.

While we can’t see we see an ever increasing trend toward the uses of horological timepieces in jewelry, we can say for a fact that there has always been a place for the clock and watch in the jewelry market.  Do you see this yourself – please let us know.

We have even toyed over the years with introducing jewelry ourselves in the shape of timepieces of all types, from the basic grandfather clock necklace, pendant or earrings, to similar items with a wall clock or mantle clock design.  Whether to make the grandfather clock actually tick and function, or the wall clock tell time, is another question entirely.  And we see these more as decorative pieces compared to the more functional pocket watches that antique pocket watches or pendant watches that women used to wear much more routinely in the past vs. present.

Let’s not forget about the men out there who may be interested in grandfather clock cuff links, or wall clock studs for that special shirt or tuxedo.

We would very much like your horological and design sense and potential buyer input.  Have you seen much grandfather clock jewelry out there? Any wall clock jewelry you would like to see?

Let us know your thoughts and opinions.

Earlier today, I was reading a highly regarded periodical which happened to address the subject of the future of the laptop, pc, Mac, Netbooks, and handhelds in general, and the perception of an inevitable march towards a continuous convergence to handheld devices for all of ones communication and computing needs.

Not that this is a radical new theory.  I remember thinking something similar something like 15-20 years ago, and the landscape has shifted mightily many times during these years.  Remember when some people thought fax machines would be the ever-present fixture in one’s home and office (I do, but I never believed it for a second).

The corporate “bloodshed” as these industries continue to converge, and as the technologies also become more powerful, will finally, i believe (easy to throw these things out when predicting anonymously) more consolidation than we have in previous years.  To date, the effect has been mitigated by the enormous leaps in technological power and capabilities (Moore’s Law, etc.), and the corresponding software, hardware, and devices, including entertainment, which have had the market opportunity to fill these new needs.  No doubt there will still be many applications of technologies that can, and in many cases have not even yet been, simply imagined as products of the future.

The core uses of these technologies of voice, data, and pictures will continue to converge, even as amazing new companies and technologies are born and are brought into fruition.

OK, so what does all of this have to do with clocks, much less grandfather clocks, or wall clocks, or desk or mantle clocks?  Good question.  The Story of The Clock, might be condensed from its history as being a beacon in the industrial revolution, helping to make order out of chaos and an important contribution to a Civil Society, and to a point such as in England where it was mandated by law that public clocks had to be visible in every pub and across any certain number of streets.

Nowadays, one can look at one’s iPhone, or TV, or Automobile, PC or Mac, and possibly even a wristwatch.  Yet studies have shown that people with clocks on their desks still look at them 30-40 times a day!  That says that a clock is more than a fashion or design accessory, but a useful dedicated device.  Now old habits die hard, and it is hard to say what future generation will do and want.  But it is clear that clocks as home decor accents and interior decorating for the home or office are hear to stay!

Grandfather clocks, mantel clocks, wall clocks – started out in a way as a necessity – and now are increasingly being relegated to office and home decor, and to those older fashioned among us whom have a hard time, or simply no desire, to part with conventions.

That’s today’s Story of the Clocks.

Our Store, 1-800-4CLOCKS.com, is one of the largest clocks retailers in the world.  We specialize in grandfather clocks, but also stock and sell many wall clocks, mantle clocks, atomic clocks, cuckoo clocks, and on and on.  We carry both new and antique clocks.  Pocket watches too.

The brands we carry include Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Ridgeway Clock Collection, Bulova Grandfather Clocks Collection, and premium Kieninger grandfather parts (custom made to order in Germany and shipped directly to customer, with 2-3 month lead time).  For these same manufacturers, and others crafts makers and artisans, we also carry their lines of wall clocks, mantel clocks, atomic clocks, cuckoo clocks, novelty clocks, and much more.

We have a Low Price Guarantee, where we pledge not to be undersold by any online authorized internet dealer for the major brands we sell (see website for details).  A major problem on the internet today is the plethora of websites claiming to be authorized dealers for the companies they are representing when they are really not.  Some lie outright, and others simply skirt the issue.  The sad reality for people who purchase products from these vendors is that the warranties they think they are getting with their clock will not be valid.  A warranty not only gives piece of mind – it also has the potential to save one many hundreds, or possibly thousands, of dollars in repair bills.

Another ploy used by many marketers include what we call “false calls to action”, with 2 examples being “Sale Ends on Friday” or “50% off” when in the first case the sale may end, only to begin yet again immediately thereafter.  In the second example, we see many retailers artificially raise their prices, even if only for an hour, so that they can them claim significantly deeper percentage discounts than they would otherwise be able to do.  We find both of these practices to be both immoral and highly misleading.  We believe in everyday low prices, and always striving to meet or beat the competition.  Free gifts of a dubious nature or value are also promised by some enterprising sites.

This is less of an issue for the antique clocks we sell, where many items are closer to one-of-a-kind artifacts.  Yet we still see “prices slashed” and tie-ins with giveaways in this market as well, but not the same kind of retail gimmickry we new with the sale of new grandfather clocks, new atomic clocks, mantel clocks, and new wall clocks too.

When purchasing a clock, especially a grandfather clock, many people also do not take into account the many factors in the overall value proposition.  Yes the grandfather clock is important, but how will it be shipped to you, by home, what will they do in your home, will they even bring it into your home or will they leave it at curbside.   What about an in-home clocks set-up — who will do it? How skilled are they?  Might it void the warranty?  What if there is shipping damage?  Manufacturing defects?  Are you fully protected?  How do you know?  These are ALL very critical points, and whom you buy from will determine how well you are taken care of in each of these cases-categories.

Everyday low(est) prices and the best shopping experience and overall value. That’s our recipe for success, and our mantra. Come shop with us.

A grandfather clock has become a very generous, but not uncommon, gift from parents to the bride and groom to be. We have had bridal registry requests for grandfather clocks.  Frequently these are families that have grown up with a grandfather clock in their home, and the parents want their children to have the same heartwarming and heirloom quality feel and presence and warmth that is brought from the addition of a grandfather or floor clock to a living room or some other common area of the new couple’s home.

We have had some customers whom have purchased multiple grandfather clocks, one for each of their children when they got married.  One individual recently purchased his 4th Floor Clock and proudly proclaimed afterwards “I am Done!”  His fourth child was soon to be married.  All had apparently wanted the antique grandfather clock that was in the home in which they grew up, but the parents were neither ready to give up their clock and also did not want to start a family war over this treasured heirloom.  Unfortunately, grandfather clock cloning technology has yet to be perfected , but it’s an interesting idea!  Any genetic scientists out there with a blueprint for how this might be accomplished, please get in touch with us.

A grandfather clock or special mantle clock or wall clock as a present for a milestone anniversary, or even a very special birthday, has also been an increasing trend.  We have seen many couple buy grandfather clocks for 10th, 20th, 25th, 40, and even 50th wedding anniversaries, among others.  Sometimes it is the children of the parents celebrating the special event who purchase this special timepiece.  We have had many purchase high-end grandfather clocks, always looking for a good grandfather clock discount or special clock on sale, for a very special birthday.

We applaud this trend and are excited to share in the joy that these gifts bring to their new owners, as well as the satisfaction of the gift givers and present receivers, whomever falls in whichever category.

Clocks of all types make great presents, and as most people know, are also given by corporations to employees to mark very special employee recognition gift occasions, or as employee retirement gifts. Many of our customers have been buying really nice clocks for years to give as gifts to mark a special time with a special timepiece.  As our registered trademark says, “Add Time to Your Life”™.

Well, we had thought we had heard just about everything!  But just when we think it’s safe to say we have heard everything, well, you know how it goes.  Kind of like just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water.  We never learn.  Or at least the entertainment industry has a vested interest in wanting us to believe that.

This one you have to hear.  A man called from a small town in one of the more populated States in the USA.  This man was not only the Mayor of his town, but he is also the Undertaker, and apparently the only one in town (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Well, he informed us that he needed to order a new clock because a goat had eaten his prized mantel clock.  At first I thought he was joking.   Seriously!  He was not joking.  Apparently, neither the case nor the movement were in any form where any reasonable part of the clock could be salvaged.  And this was an antique Tiffany & Company mantel clock that was a featured and prized possession at his funeral home.  Somehow the goat, which belonged to him, got in the mortuary after hours.  Fortunately the grandfather clock was spared!

We had several email exchanges after our initial phone calls and before he placed his new order.  I believe him.  I really do this time!  Am I crazy? (based on the facts as presented here – no others need to chime in here).  Have you eever heard of anytghing like this ever happening before?

We get many calls from distraught owners of treasured clocks and pocket watches that have been lost in fires and floods.  After Hurricane Katrina, we must have assisted well over 50 families, at no cost to them, to help them document their losses to their insurance company to maximize the chances of replacement value recovery wherever possible.  They were mostly all grandfather clocks.

OK, fire and floods.

Goats eating your clock?  Reminds me of the old excuse used by many kids that the dog ate their homework, or one of its many variations.

What do you think.  We really would like to know!

Recent years have been accompanied by the incorporation of new features and technologies into mechanical grandfather clocks, mechanical mantle clocks, as well as keywound wall clocks.  Some of these same, and additional features, have also been included in the quartz of battery driven versions of wall clocks, mantel clocks, and grandfather and grandmother clocks.

Not all of these added features are included on all models, and even the same general features can have distinct differences between mechanical chiming clocks and their quartz-driven battery-operated counterparts.

One of the most desired features that has been introduced on many grandfather clocks, and those clocks for the wall or mantle too, is automatic nighttime shutoff. Clocks with this feature almost always will also have a chime on-off switch as well, so one can turn the clock chime of during the day as well if so desired, on a day-to-day basis.  This feature is very convenient for those that want to have the chimes during the day, but not during what would be considered the usual and customary hours for sleeping.  The automatic option typically leaves no choice as to when the clocks stop chiming at night and when they start up again in the morning.  It is preset, period.

It is worth noting that the chime on most all new mechanical grandfather clocks chiming and gongs counting the hours  is generally a much lower volume than those from days gone by.  We believe and understand that the manufacturers have done this to appeal to the largest majority of consumers.  And let’s face it — today people’s attentions can be divided in any given room can be divided between a myriad of electronics including other sound making devices.  People can also see the time in many more places than they used to be able to in past times.  So the combination of the two has meant that the greatest mass market acceptance for chiming grandfather clocks and mechanical and chiming wall clocks and mantel clocks has been to lower the volume significantly.  Still, having said that, the auto-night-shutoff-feature is a popular one, and for good reason.

Another feature on some clocks is one or more of lit dials (even backlit dials, e.g. on the Engels Model of the Howard Miller grandfather clock which in this case features a glass frosted dial).

Howard Miller Engels Grandfather Clock
by Howard Miller

Most of the lit dials are simply those with grandfather clocks with lights shining on the front of the dial, some shining through holes purposefully made in the dial, and also lights in the cabinets to also give the grandfather clocks that illuminated feeling.  It is worth noting that clocks with this feature also need to be near an electrical outlet as this feature of lighting is completely independent of the movements, at least in the clocks that we sell and built to date.

Chimes innovations have also taken place on grandfather clocks, as well as wall clocks and mantle clock, in recent years.  While still a minority, more and more both mechanical and quartz clocks are offering the Schubert Ave Maria and/or Beethoven Ode to Joy Chimes almost always in addition to the Westminster Chime and generally in place of the Whittingon Chime and St. Michaels Chime.  These alternative chimes are highly sought after by many clock buyers.  Very few of the mechanical models offer this as an alternative, but some buyers seek those specific models out for that very reason.  We expect to see more and more mechanical chiming grandfather clocks offering one or more the the Ave Maria or Ode to Joy Chimes in addition to the Westminster Chime in the years to come.

Quartz or battery driven clocks have an added feature on their chiming clocks, which is that the volume is adjustable.  For practical purposes, and despite what many people (including “experts”) will say, the chiming volume of a mechanical grandfather clock is for most all practical purposes NOT adjustable.  Completely separately, the sound quality of a mechanical chime is superior almost always to that of a quartz clock, the reason being one is hearing the actual sound of the hammers striking the chime rods, as opposed to the recording one hears on a quartz chiming clock.  This is true whether the clock in question is a grandfather clock, a grandmother clock, a mantel clock, or a wall clock.

Many times the features enhance the grandfather or wall or mantle clock, but they do not make the clock.  In our view this is true for all of the features that have been added over the last century.