Howard Miller has introduced wall clocks and oversized wall clocks designed by Ty Pennington. The wall clocks all bear Ty Pennington’s signature. While most of the readers of this blog will we believe likely know who Ty Pennington is, for those of you who don’t, he is a very well-respected designer (and “jack of many trades”) who is known probably best for his role in the ABC Television Show Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

In addition to wall clocks designed by Ty Pennington and made by Howard Miller Clocks, grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks, including a waterfall floor clock, have also been made and introduced into the Howard Miller Ty Pennington Clock Collection.

Gallery Clock, or clocks we define as being oversize and minimally 15 inches in diameter, with many being 30 or more inches in diameter.  There are some very stylish and contemporary wall clocks and gallery clocks.   The grandfather clocks or floor clocks are also worthy of a special look!

One of the favorite clocks of this blog post’s author is the Howard Miller Joslin Wall Clock, which can be seen below, and also has a similarly designed grandfather clock called the Howard Miller Joslin Grandfather Clock.

Here is a picture of the Howard Miller Joslin Wall Clock:

Howard Miller Joslin Wall Clock by Ty Pennington, Model 625-470 625470

It is very much worth it to look at it side-by-side with the Howard Miller Joslin Grandfather Clock:

Howard Miller Joslin Floor Grandfather Clock by Ty Pennington, Model 611-156 611156

Can you imagine the Home Decor statement made by having BOTH of these amazing Howard Miller Ty Pennington clocks in your home.  We think for many tastes this may be a dream come true, and we know that interior decorators and interior designers are taking note.

Stay tuned for more introductions of wall clocks, grandfather clocks, mantel clocks (we hope), and many other Howard Miller Clocks and other furniture pieces designed by Ty Pennington.

No thank you, we do not carry parts for grandfather clocks. Or wall clocks parts, or parts for mantle clocks, or even mantel clocks, nor atomic clocks nor parts for cuckoo clocks. And we do not sell movements for grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, atomic clocks, or pretty much any clock or watch or pocket watch.

So why do we get so many visits and calls and emails from prospective customers looking for grandfather clock parts.   Not to be rude, BUT PLEASE DO NOT CALL US FOR GRANDFATHER CLOCK PARTS! OR ANY WALL CLOCK PARTS, OR MANTLE CLOCKS PARTS, OR CUCKOO CLOCK PARTS — well, you probably get the idea…

You might be interested in the grandfather clock parts resource we supplied in one of our posts to our very own grandfather clocks blog and is repeated here for your use and convenience.

We would suggest the following 3 resources:

1. Look on this page on our website to see if you can find an answer to your question(s): just click on -> http://www.1-800-4clocks.com/page/CLOCKS/ClockFAQ
2. You can locate a Howard Miller Authorized Service Center local to you here -> http://cql.howardmiller.com/HM/ServiceCenterLocator.aspx. NOTE that all mechanical Howard Miller clocks had Hermle movements in them until about 5 years ago, and that most any if not all of these Service Centers should be able to work on any Hermle Clock. This Service Center Network is a great resource, and we have had an excellent experiences working with Service Centers around the Country (and also Canada) using this Service Center Network. Probably at least half of these Service Centers can work on antique clocks too, as well as other Brands of Clocks!!!!
3. You can order Hermle (and other) Parts (e.g. movements, weights, pendulum, keys, etc.) from the following 2 suppliers -> www.BlackForestImports.com and www.Merritts.com. While we have no relationship to them whatsoever, we personally have had good results working with them ourselves. Their contact information is available on each of the noted websites. We would most definitely recommend calling them rather than attempting to order from their websites (which would likely be a fruitless effort).

Please pay special attention to the Howard Miller Authorized Service Center Directory, which is search-able by zip code.  It can even come in incredibly handy if you are moving a grandfather clock from one part of the country to another.  Just simply find and hire the best available packing grandfather clocks  shipping (who should also have knowledge about the shipping companies and access to the best rates, if you are not transporting the clock yourself.  Then you can hire a local Howard Miller or Ridgeway Authorized Service Technician on the delivery end to unpack and set-up the grandfather clock in its new home.  It is not at all uncommon that even with the best packing, and reasonable handling, a grandfather clock may require adjustment upon delivery by a qualified technician.

For repairs or transportation of grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, atomic clocks and more, IF YOU ARE IN THE New York tri-state region, feel free to contact us.  If you live elsewhere, you will save yourself some time by following the advice above, and get your parts elsewhere in almost all cases.

“Hello, we would like to register for the Howard Miller Reagan Presidential Grandfather Clock at your Store.  Do you have a Bridal Registry for Grandfather Clocks, Wall Clocks and Mantel Clocks?”

Howard Miller Reagan Grandfather Clock Model 610-999

Yes we do have a Wedding Gifts Grandfather Clocks Bridal Gifts Registry, and it is growing increasingly popular.  Interestingly, most grandfather clock wedding gifts are given by past and reasonably current clocks customers who have seen first-hand the joy and pleasure that grandfather clocks can bring into their home.  Some of our customers have made it a practice to make a grandfather clock the ideal wedding gift for their child and child-in-law.  Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks, the Hermle Grandfather Clock collection, and Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks have been the most popular selections.

At one time, we had a formal bridal registry option on our website at 1-800-4CLOCKS.com.  At this moment, people need to call us at 1-800-4CLOCKS (1-800-425-6257) to arrange for the perfect wedding gift of a grandfather clock.  We may soon add the feature back to our website.

We also have many brides and grooms seeking special thank you gifts for the bridesmaids, groomsmen, best man, and maid of honor or matron of honor.  The most popular choices for these gifts have been Movado Clocks, Howard Miller Clocks, Seth Thomas Clocks and Ridgeway Clocks.  We are delighted to work with people to help them find the perfect gift for the perfect wedding occasion, whether it is “the wedding gift”, gifts for bridesmaids, presents for groomsmen, or a gift that the Maid of Honor or Best Man will treasure for a lifetime.

Would it be a big plus for you if we had a formal bridal registry that one could register for a grandfather clock plus online, or do you prefer ordering your time pieces like grandfather clocks the old fashioned way by telephone or stopping by?

When thinking about a perfect wedding present, and finding the ideal gift, especially to give to the bride and the groom, a grandfather clock has become a favorite for parents and parents-in-law to give the to the Bride and Groom to be.  It is, or certainly can be, a timely present that will be a gift with heirloom quality and amazing appreciation on the part of gift recipients.

We have also seen an increasing trend toward giving grandfather clocks as special anniversary presents by one loved one to another.  Or to a parent or parents, or group of siblings, to especially appreciated offspring who have the means to pay for such a gift.   A special promotion, a present for a special birthday, and many other occasions for celebration can be great excuses to give clocks.  And it is not only grandfather clocks.  Wall Clocks, Atomic Clocks, Mantel Clocks, and others, including antique clocks, make great gifts — even for members of the wedding party, including the Best Man and Matron of Honor or Maid of Honor.  And don’t forget gifts for the groomsmen!

The brands that are most popular include Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks,  Seth Thomas clocks, and especially Movado wall clocks and Movado mantel clocks, or mantle clocks, as gifts for groomsmen.  They all make great wall clocks, mantle clocks, gallery clocks, indoor-outdoor clocks, grandmother clocks, grandfather clocks, novelty clocks, and so much more.  The clocks can also be customized, and it can be especially cost-effective for larger order quantities.  We have customized logo and even promotional clocks for some of the largest corporations, hospitals, government organizations, non-profits or charitable organizations, universities, and many other organizations around the world.

The history of grandfather clocks brands is an ever changing one.  Going back to the 1700s and 1800s is Western Europe, parts of Eastern Europe, and the New World, the makers of clocks were extremely decentralized.  This was true for pocket watches as well.  So much so that when signing a grandfather clock or a pocket watch, or a wall clock or mantel clock for that matter, the maker, when they signed their work, put their name, and then their town location.  That tells you a lot right their about how locally focused individual clocks markers were, even though the works if select makers were prized the world over.

In the late 1800s, clock makers started to be centralized, and built manufacturing facilities capable of producing high quality clocks in much larger quantities.  Many of the major makers of their day went out of business, or were later brought back to life because of the value of their name, for different reasons.  Clock makers that fall into this category include Junghans, Gustav Becker, Winterhalder and Hoffmeir, E.J. Dent, New Haven Clock Company, Ansonia Clocks, E Howard Clocks, and the list goes on and on.

Today, when focusing on grandfather clocks specifically, and keeping in mind that we are looking at only what we consider to be the high-end makers and those who make clocks in any quantities, there are relatively few players on the higher-end.  Howard Miller grandfather clocks continue to dominate the high-end market.  Hermle grandfather clocks, which have been around for well over a hundred years, is another leading high end maker of floor clocks, a term used synonymously for grandfather clocks.  Ridgeway grandfather clocks, which have also been making grandfather clocks for over 100 years, is another great brand.  It is worth noting that Ridgeway Clocks was purchased by Howard Miller Clocks about 8 years ago, and while Ridgeway grandfather clocks still bear their brand name with pride, they are in reality not only a division of Howard Miller Clocks, but also essentially identical to Howard Miller grandfather clocks with comparable movements and features, and are effectively other models built by the same company, using the same German made movements, with the cases made in the same locations.

All the major high-end clockmakers currently use German made movements, and are frequently thought of as German grandfather clocks, even when the makers are American companies.  Kieninger grandfather clcoks can be considered German through and through.  Yet it is worth noting that Kieninger Clocks was purchased by Howard Miller Clocks about 7 or 8 years ago.  Howard Miller Clocks and Ridgeway clocks that have mechanical movements inside have those that are made by Kieninger.  Bulova Clocks took over the Sligh grandfather clocks brand designs several years ago.  Bulova clocks uses German Hermle made movements in its grandfather clocks.

There are other companies worthy of note whose brands we do not currently carry, but are of high quality, including Hentschel Clocks and Comiti of London.

Stay tuned for further grandfather clocks brand developments over time.

We have of course heard of many people talk of and ask for Floor Clocks and Grandfather Clocks, but we are noticing a new trend with individuals using the term Grandfather Floor Clocks.  Have you heard that term before?  Perhaps it has appeared in some advertising or Home Improvement or architectural digest or house beautiful or home and garden type of publication or media of late.

Grandfather clocks are by definition floor clocks, or free standing clocks with that familiar rectangular shape with the mechanical kind housing a pendulum and being weight-driven by 1-3 weights, depending upon whether it is time only, time and strike, or time and strike and chiming.  Most of us know this very general definition of grandfather clocks or floor clocks.

Howard Miller Clocks in particular have popularized the term Floor Clocks.   Hermle Clocks too with their grandfather clocks frequently being referred to as Floor Clocks.  It kind of reminds us of radio controlled clocks being used interchangeably with atomic clocks by many manufacturers.  But we have yet to hear of an atomic radio controlled clock, or radio-controlled atomic clocks for that matter.

It seems the terms have simply blended together — floor clocks and grandfather clocks being referred to as grandfather floor clocks.  Not exactly a parallel with mantel clocks and mantle clocks, nor with grandfather clocks and tallcase clocks and longcase clocks, but nonetheless interesting horological linguistic distinction brought about by differences and changes in time and within and between cultures.

Anyone out there heard of a Grandmother Floor Clock?  We expect we will be asked about one some time very soon.

Have you ever been confused by the terms grandfather clocks and floor clocks?  Have you ever even heard of the term floor clock?  Thought of a grandmother clock as a floor clock? well, they really are all different forms of and names for  grandfather clocks clocks.

The single biggest distinction between grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks is their height.  We tend to say any grandfather clock below 80 inches or so could be considered a grandmother clock.  They may, or may not, look more demure or petite as well. It’s worth noting that experts in clocks will have differences of opinions on this subject.  Get ten clocks experts in a room to discuss this, and you may well get a dozen different opinions.

What about Floor Clocks and Grandfather Clocks? Those two terms are used essentially synonymously, with the term Floor Clock in particular being used by clock companies such as Howard Miller Clocks and Hermle Clocks.  The terms Hall Clocks, not to mention Tall case clocks and longcase clocks are also used frequently.

Well, it’s the Sunday in Spring after the 2am morning change where we switch from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time.  Most people remember the “Spring Forward Fall Back” mnemonic to help remember what to do when.  The writer of this Blog Post tried to go to bed an hour earlier last night to help ease into the time change of the loss of the hour’s sleep, or at least time, from our schedule as we move forward until next fall.  Just after winding all of our new and antique grandfather clocks.

The good news is that it will now be lighter, with natural sunshine across the USA, later in the day.  And theoretically at least, we as a country are supposed to use less energy as a result of the extra amount of sunshine, balanced with the mornings being naturally brighter as we move from Winter to Spring. Not sure this has ever been proven in any definitive study, but the basic theory is sound.

Over the years, the US Congress has switched the dates as to when Daylight Savings Time (DST) and Standard Tine (ST) start and stop.  Aside from being time and tempo aficionados, you may wonder how or why we are so keenly aware of this change when it is made by the Government?  Well, one reason is that we sell some clocks which have what is know as an Autoset mechanism.  What this feature does, is automatically move the time forward one hour during the spring at the designated day, and the time backwards one hour on the designated day in the winter.  Sounds straightforward!  Sounds great for our customers too!  But what happens when Congress decides to fiddle with the actual dates when these time changes take place.  Well, this happened just a couple of  years ago, and boy did that cause problems for our customers and us.  All of the sudden, their clocks were changing time forwards and backwards on the wrong days!!

For those customers with the forethought to contact us, we were able to either send replacement movements or completely new clocks which had the NEW correct time and hour and DATE coded into them as to when to make the time change.  Many clocks shoppers and customers, though, contacted us after the problem became apparent.  We were able to make all of the customers eventually satisfied by replacing their clocks with the appropriate movements or replacement wall clocks.   Most of these clocks are used in institutional organizations, such as hospitals clocks, schools clocks, or factory clocks, or corporate clocks throughout an organization.

Atomic wall clocks obviate the need for this potential problem and solutions, as they set their time EXACTLY according to the atomic time on the atomic clock in Fort Collins Colorado.  So it may take an individual clock a few hours to pick up the revised signal, but it is smart enough to make the change by itself for itself.  This is one big advantage of atomic clocks, aside from keeping absolutely incredibly accurate time.  The only downside to the atomic clock is that some may not be able to pick up the atomic signal, particularly if they are in buildings with very thick concrete walls.  This is occasionally as issue for our clocks shopping customers, and we always try to make clocks discount hunters aware of the potential downside when considering this kind of wall clocks.  Happily, in most instances, it’s not an issue or problem.

Now what about the Monday following the change in Daylight Savings Time.  As a clocks shop employee, where we sell many types of grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantel clocks, antique clocks of all kinds, not to mention atomic clocks and Autoset Clocks, I personally dread those Monday mornings?  Why, you might ask?  Well, the reason is that most calls on Monday begin with How do I change the time on my grandfather clock, wall clocks, mantle clocks or whatever clock, new or antique.  This is true regardless whether the brand is Howard Miller Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Kieninger Clocks selection, or Bulova clocks,  Antique clocks too — and an antique grandfather clcok wik have special considerations regarding what NOT to do to change the time that will not apply with a newer Howard Miller grandfather clock or one of the Ridgeway or Hermle grandfather clocks.

Maybe I will take tomorrow off  .  But nope, I love clocks of all kinds, and like-love most all of the clocks shoppers, whether they are always looking for discount grandfather clocks or grandfather clocks on sale.

What was that clocks vow I took — “for better or worse”,  “in sickness and in health, including changes in Daylight Savings Time”.

We at 1-800-4CLOCKS.com will be open tomorrow to help all of our past and present grandfather, wall, mantle, autoset, atomic, mantel, and antique clocks shoppers.

p.s. be sure not to not forget to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  The semi-annual changes in time with DST are a great time to do that.  Also, you may want to look at how many years old your smoke detectors are, and whether it is time to invest in new ones which will both (hopefully) definitely work and have the latest in technology.  It could just save the lives of you and your loved ones!

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.

Over time,  we have weighed in on the strengths, weaknesses, and commonalities of the various makers of grandfather clocks, mantle clocks and wall clocks.

Now we are asking for your opinions as to the best makers of wall clocks, mantel clocks and grandfather clocks.

Here are the categories:

GrandfatherClocks:  and Grandmother Clocks too!

Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks

Hermle Grandfather Clocks

Bulova Grandfather Clocks

Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks

Kieninger Grandfather Clocks

We would encourage you in this case to supply your own criteria for rating grandfather clocks. We look forward to hearing from many floor clocks and grandfather clocks enthusiasts.

Mantle Clocks:  Mantel Clocks maker categories include -

Bulova Mantel Clocks

Howard Miller Mantel Clocks

Hermle Mantel Clocks

Ridgeway Mantel Clocks

Seth Thomas Mantel Clocks

Kieninger Mantle Clocks

Included in this category are mechanical chiming mantel clocks, quartz chiming mantle clocks, quartz time only mantel clocks, and others.  We look forward to your input!

Wall Clocks:

Wall clock categories and makers here include

Howard Miller Wall Clocks

Hermle Wall Clocks

Seth Thomas Wall Clocks

Bulova Wall Clocks

Kieninger Wall Clocks

Ridgeway Wall Clocks

Categories within here include Atomic Wall Clocks, Gallery or oversized wall clocks, mechanical chiming wall clocks, quartz chiming wall clocks, quartz rime only wall clocks, wrought iron wall clocks, decorative wall clocks, and indoor outdoor wall clocks.  We would also include combination barometers and wall clocks in this category.

What do you think?  We very much want your input, and we will figure out the best way to present the results for grandfather clocks, wall clocks, and mantel clocks.  It will be quite interesting to see how they differ from the best selling brands and types of grandfather clocks, mantle clocks, wall clocks.  Atomic clocks may be a special focus, especially because of their increasing popularity.