Do you spell tabletop clocks as Mantle Clocks or Mantel Clocks?  An interesting language dynamic which affects how people buy and sell clocks has to do with this often seen simple variation on the spelling of either mantel clocks or mantle clocks.  Both are correct.  Major clock manufacturers use both spelling all the time.  A simple search of the 2 terms on Google (now is the time to make a guess as to which is more popular) shows - we just looked - about 194,000 search results for mantel clocks and 199,000 for the mantle clocks spelling. We view that as a strikingly similar number for the spelling variation.

Our general understanding, without having performed a scientific analysis, is that mantel clocks is generally the American spelling, and that mantle clocks is generally the British spelling.  Take geographic considerations into account, and the first is more popular in all of North America and the latter more popular in all of Europe.

Less of a variation than grandfather clocks vs. tall case clocks and long case clocks, but nonetheless a very interesting one.  If one looks at the manufacturers of new clocks, not surprisingly, Howard Miller Clocks, based in the USA, tends to use the mantel clocks spelling, while Hermle Clocks, based in Germany, tends to use the mantle clocks spelling.

Also, antique clocks, most of which were made in Europe, if one looks at the history of clocks, will frequently be seen with the Mantle Clocks spelling.

Personally, we like Bracket Clocks, and are pleased that there appears to be only way to spell wall clocks.

It almost appears as though many marketers of clocks waited until after this past Christmas season to introduce and attempt to flood the American marketplace with cheaply made clocks products at much lower price points.  This is a trend we have noticed, and seems now to be accelerating and becoming as prevalent for grandfather clocks as it has been for wall clocks and mantel clocks.

Whether shopping for a grandfather clock or a mantle clock timepiece, it is more important then ever to understand what exactly one is thinking about buying.  Special attention should be given when tucked away in the language describing a clock it says something like some assembly required.  Without naming names, we have started to see more and more of the larger Dealers peddling clocks as though they are comparable to ones made by such known makers as Howard Miller Clocks or Hermle Clocks, when they in fact may be cheap imitations, sometimes even using the same model names to sell entirely different clocks.

We have heard from customers who are confused by what they are seeing in the marketplace, and think one Company’s product was actually made by another leading and well known Company.

We welcome input from clock shoppers and the relevant experiences they may be having.

In the meantime, while caveat emptor should always be on the minds of any shopper, buyers of timepieces should carefully look at their options, and ask the hard questions to make certain they are comfortable with what they are buying all of the time.

There is probably no single day of the year when clocks - whether grandfather clocks or wall clocks or mantel clocks - get more views than on New Years Eve.  The same holds true for wristwatches and other timepieces, whether tuning in on television to celebrate in cities around the country and world, or celebrating with immediate family and or a few close friends at home.

This is enough to make 1-800-4CLOCKS still relevant and shows the continued need and desirability, not to mention obsession, with the passing of time, and done so in an elegant way.

Atomic clocks, with their at least theoretical one-billionth of a second accuracy for the most accurate ones, and even computer clocks syncing with Atomic Time can supplant the need to be on the same page by watching television network broadcasts.  But a sense of a global community would still be missing and can be enhanced, at least for many, by joining the world with televised broadcasts of the exploits and celebrations in cities around the world.

Some households and parties will no doubt be celebrating around clocks they have purchased from 1-800-4CLOCKS as 2007 winds down and 2008 is welcomed in. We have seen this trend as it has been volunteered to us by some of our customers.  Whether a grandfather clock or grandmother clock, atomic or wall clock, mantel or anniversary clock, or a Rolex or Casio wristwatch, or a cell phone or iPod’s timekeeper, time will be marked by the device of your choice, whether your own or a communal resource like New York’s Times Square with its remarkable display and countdown to 2008.

Let us know if you and yours have any special stories or celebrations to share about how you rang in 2008, and whether a timepiece played a key, or even dare we say interesting, role.

This blogger has a somewhat unusual way of ringing in the New Year, which usually involves being in a movie theater (watching a movie, in case you are wondering), and not even knowing exactly when the clock is approaching, reaching, or passing midnight.

Please share your stories, and have a great time and happy and healthy year in 2008, however you mark time.

Well, Thanksgiving has now come and gone, and the crazy mad rush shopping season has begun.  While most people are thinking about ipods, or plasma or HDTV televison sets, there are many businesses and individuals who are also looking to clocks as anything from corporate business gifts to prized possessions to be given as presents for weddings, anniversaries, important birthdays, from children to parents, and from parents to children, as cherished timeless keepsakes to be handed from generation to generation.  And of course, there are some who find a grandfather clock as the elusive perfect personal present for Christmas or Holiday gift giving for their spouse, for themselves, or other close relatives.

Not only grandfather clocks are becoming more common as heirloom gifts, but 1-800-4CLOCKS is also seeing an increase of gift giving by individuals and corporations with wall clocks, mantel clocks, novelty clocks, atomic clocks, and of course the gift for good corporate citizens and corporate customers or for corporate promotions of the marketing variety.

More choices and styles are also making doing your homework that much more important.  Clocks now feature more chimes than ever - you can hear the Westminster, Whittington, St Michaels, Schubert’s Ave Maria and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy Ode on the 1-800-4CLOCKS website for clocks that feature these chimes.  Other features such as volume control, lit cabinets, automatic night time chime shut-off option, and many more physical styles, including contemporary. modern, and old style, make clock shopping both more fun and more challenging than ever.  Also, without naming names, it is amazing the number of customers who come to 1-800-4CLOCKS after looking at clocks at many of the largest Retailers around the country, and can see the difference between a cheaply made clock, which 1-800-4CLOCKS attempts to carry none of, and one which is well-made.  The hallmark brands such as Howard Miller, Seth Thomas, Ridgeway Clocks, Hermle, Bulova, and Movado help ensure years of lasting quality and fine craftsmanship and materials.

As many of the higher-end clocks are increasingly being looked to as heirloom gifts, consumers and businesses are fortunate to have more GOOD choices than ever before.  Just be sure to look carefully before you leap.

An unfortunate group which is a very small percent of clocks shoppers, but probably have 90% of any “bad” experiences that are out there are customers whom really have not given any thought to what they have ordered or why they are ordering it.  ALSO, many clock shoppers tell us they were first lured by cheap clocks, e.g. grandfather clocks, they in some major mass market retailers, only later to realize the cases were made of plastic and the mechanisms were anything but special.

What this means is that there is a small but unfortunate group of buyers out there who in effect impulse buy, only to realize later that what they purchased is not what they want.

Among the key steps we recommend are looking at the overall brand image, quality, and reliability.  Then look at the case and make sure that is what you want.  Then there is a decision about whether to have a mechanical movement or a quartz movement, each with varying pros and cons (more on this in a future post).  A Home Decor or Office Decor fit is a must.  And the chiming sound should be welcome in the place where the clock finds its new home.

Finally, looking carefully at the warranty offered by the Manufacturer, and making sure that the Manufacturer is “real” and will stand behind their product, can make all the difference in the world!

Howard Miller Reading Time Table Clock    Model 645-421

If you have not been to the 1-800-4CLOCKS website lately to look at a chiming grandfather clock, wall clocks, or mantel clocks, it is worth a trip! When trying to decide which clock to buy and with what clock chime or chimes, now you can actually listen to the chimes on the 1-800-4CLOCKS.com website, and hear the Westminster Chimes, St Michaels and Whittington Chimes for yourself, before you buy.

The three above-mentioned chimes, which are shown and playable with each clock style that plays them, offer incredible sound quality that was recorded by a Recording Music Professional using clocks at our Store in Grand Central Station. The chimes can be listened to as many times as you like. The goal is to create as much of an in-person shopping feeling as humanly possible with current technology.

Clocks that play either the Westminster, St Michaels or Whittington Chimes should have the chimes below available for listening below each clock, available in flashplayer file format with which most every web user has had experience. It is important to reach each product’s description to be positive that the chimes shown match the chimes described in the description of the clock.

All of the chimes can of course be heard in person at our New York City Grand Central Station Store.

The Ode to Joy and Ave Maria Chimes are expected to be added to the 1-800-4CLOCKS.com website within the next 1-2 months, for clocks that offer those musical chimes.

All input from clock, horology, and timepiece or music enthusiasts is encouraged and welcomed any time.

Howard Miller Westminster Chimes New Haven Wall Clock Model 620-196

Clocks Blog is Pleased to Announce the 2007 Wall Clocks and Mantel Clocks Contest brought to you by 1-800-4CLOCKS.

Many people have a favorite among the many wall clocks and mantel clocks they have seen or may themselves own. The reasons can be many, from antique wall clocks with mercury pendulums, multiple time zone or astronomical dials, amazing casework and carving, the chimes (whether nested bells, gongs or rod chimes) or even built in music box or automata - whether made by Britian’s Edward Dent, John Benson, J.J. Elliott , Tiffany and Company, JE Caldwell, EF Caldwell, Winterhalder & Hoffmeier, Hermle Clocks, Seth Thomas Clocks, or one of the new makers like Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks (been around long enough to have made both antique and new-vintage clocks), the Ridgeway Clock Collection, Kieninger Clocks or the thousands of other makers of antique wall clocks or mantel clocks or new wall clocks or mantle clocks. Home-made wall clocks and mantel clocks and those built from wall clock kits or mantle clock kits are also welcome.

The 1-800-4CLOCKS 2007 Wall Clocks and Mantel Clocks Contest is open to everyone, and will offer two grand prizes of $250 gift certificates good for 1 year at 1-800-4CLOCKS. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 31, 2007. No purchase is required, and each individual may submit one entry only (1 for Antique Wall Clock or Mantel Clock and 1 for New-Vintage Wall Clock or Mantel Clock). Your ORIGINAL photo(s) AND description (the more detailed the better) must be included with your entry. You do not need to be the owner of the wall clock or mantel clock you submit, but potential copyright issues may prevent posting more than a description if there are any copyright issues regarding the photo or description. The winners will likely be featured, along with their clocks if desired and as possible, on the www.1-800-4CLOCKS.com website.

There are 2 Categories - one for each $250 grand prize (Gift Certificate at 1-800-4CLOCKS):

1 for Best and Most Interesting Antique Wall Clock or Antique Mantel Clock, and

1 for Best and Most Interesting New or Vintage Wall Clock or Mantel Clock.

Please mail via USPS your photos and description to us at:

2007 Wall-Clocks-Mantel-Clocks Contest

1-800-4CLOCKS

15 Vanderbilt Avenue, Store 31D

Grand Central Terminal

New York, NY 10017

USA

Please remember to include your name and all your contact information. We regret that it will not be possible to return any entries, and ALL must be sent via USPS and postmarked by December 31, 2007. The winners for each category will be decided by the Staff of 1-800-4CLOCKS at their sole discretion. We recognize that mantel clocks and wall clocks have such a rich history, and we expect picking a winner amongst the many spectacular wall and mantel clocks will be both a subjective and difficult decision.

In the world of clocks and watches and pocket watches, there is a very natural and historical time divide in the standardization and resulting ease of obtaining clock and watch and pocket watch parts to repair clocks or watches. This is true not only based on the age of the timepiece, but also for repairs for clocks and watches originally made within and between both Continents and individual countries.

The two most important contributors to this dichotomy are 1. that European clocks and pocket watches have a much longer history of being produced, with much diversity both within and between countries of origin, and 2. USA Pocket Watch and early Clockmakers — e.g. Seth Thomas Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, Howard Miller Clocks — starting production at least a century later in time, and most went to great lengths to standardize aspects of both early clocks components and parts for pocket watches (with companies such as the Waltham Watch Co., Elgin Watches, and the Hamilton Watch Company). With the documentation and standardization of parts and component sizes and diagrams, making repairs became immensely easier and even possible.

European pocket watches and clocks, have had home grown, and in many cases family owned clockmaking and watchmaking businesses, and had enormous variations in parts, including component sizes and design, both within and between countries, over time, and even in the same countries in the same generations (e.g. Swiss pocket watches being made by hundreds or thousands of different families and individuals, say during the 1800s). This is as true for England as it was for France and Germany during this earlier era of horological history.

The positive side of this is that there is much more diversity and uniquity in Antique Clocks and Antique Pocket Watches (giving rise to pocket watch and later watch brands as well known and respected as Patek Philippe, Omega, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron and Constantin, A. Lange & Sohne, Jaeger, Le Coultre, Zenith, Breitling, Movado and of course Rolex Watches) from Western Europe. The very real negative side of this is that if a part is missing or broken from a pre-1900 era pocket watch or clock, finding a replacement part can be, based on experience, 100 times harder to make happen. Frequently parts have to be hand-made in this instances, and with a dwindling population, across the world, of watchsmiths and clocksmiths who are capable of doing so. European timepieces are another world for collectors, and a diverse one at that. But the world of European Clocks and European Pocket Watches is well worth getting to know. There is a LOT to learn in this fascinating world!

circa 1890 Winterhalder Hoffmeir 9 Gong Musical Bracket Clock … from still early stages of more standardized clockmaking and watchmaking

Everyone - clocks shoppers included - loves a chance to get something “extra” as a part of their shopping experience, whether it be when shopping for grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantel clocks, or atomic clocks. For that reason, 1-800-4CLOCKS is actively soliciting the input of both its customers and casual surfers for suggestions as to what might make shopping at and buying clocks and other timepieces at 1-800-4CLOCKS an experience which will surprise and delight them!

We have been thinking about random drawings for a “special something” if one purchases a clock, rewards programs (such as frequent flier miles) tied to certain purchases, merit or judge based contests where the best “widget” submitted wins, and on and on. Or maybe win an iPhone or gift certificate based on certain contest criteria.

We want to hear from you! Feel free to either post comments to this blog entry, or, as most people usually prefer to do, email us at: Sales@1-800-4CLOCKS.com.

Help 1-800-4CLOCKS help you to continue making 1-800-4CLOCKS America’s Top Clock Shop™.

Clocks today are subject today more than ever to the question of why we need them for telling time. Your cell phone, whether a new Iphone by Apple, a Smart Phone by Treo, or one of the contract give-away phones from major providers like Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile, all have the built in feature of time, frequently tied to the time of an atomic clock. Even a Sony PSP or a Nintendo DS Game System gives super accurate time. So why do people still want clocks, or even watches?

The answer is fairly straightforward, particularly for clocks - whether grandfather clocks, wall clocks or mantel clocks - and wristwatches that are well made by established high-end brands. A timepiece in the history of clocks and watches has always been an extension on one’s personality, or one’s home decor or office ambience. Tourneau, one of the major retailers of watches, used to run an ad campaign selling watches cleverly talking about something like your “other face”.

In the history of clocks and watches, it has always been the most beautiful and well-made (or highest end and most prestigious) clocks and watches that have been most desired. A clock is still an extension of one’s personality, and the interior design and decoration of one’s home or office.

Clocks in their present form are here to stay! So are watches!

Howard Miller Clocks Lawyer II Wall Clock Model 620-249