Helpful clock information about grandfather clock types, whether researching antique grandfather clocks, or trying to get on a great deal and understand which are the best deals, most reliable clock brands, and even understand the basic information of grandfather clock types and features, there are precious few reliable grandfather clock shopping and discount resources to which to look.

At 1-800-4CLOCKS.com, whether in one of our stores, or a toll-free phone call to us, we spend a lot of time talking with our customers to help them understand the types of grandfather clocks available, different grandfather clock styles, the many optional features of grandfather clocks, not to mention the difference between a Howard Miller grandfather clock and a Hermle Grandfather Clock or Ridgeway Floor Clock, or one of our own Museum Clocks™ Grandfather Clocks.

The choice between a new Ridgeway Grandfather Clock, or one of the newer Americana Grandfather Clocks, or one of the Kieninger Tubular Chime grandfather clocks, and an Antique Grandfather Clock, can be quite daunting.  To whom do you turn?  What are the pros and cons of each type of grandfather clocks?  What about the grandfather clock styles? The quality?  The mechanical grandfather clock movements and the differences between them.  The differences between a grandfather clock and a grandmother clock. The different grandfather clock chimes?  the differences between mechanical grandfather clock movements and quartz-driven grandfather clocks.  It’s a long checklist of questions a smart grandfather clock shopper would be want to be sure to ponder, separate from looking for that special grandfather clock on sale or discount grandfather clocks.

Our clocks blogs are also special resources that we have put many thousands of hours into to help online grandfather clock shoppers.  We encourage you to visit each of our blogs on clocks, as well as our main website which features posts or clock articles we feel may be most likely of interest to grandfather clock shoppers and researchers, and those deciding between a new and antique grandfather clocks.

Any special subjects you might like us to cover?  A special post on Ty Pennington and Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks, or Hermle’s upcoming new line of Grandfather Clocks Made in America, or more features on our own Museum™ Grandfather Clock Collection.

We also focus on wall clocks and mantle clocks, by all the highest end makers, including Howard Miller Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, Hermle Clocks and many more.

Let us know how we can Add Time to Your Life™.

Grandfather Clock Information and Advice

Here is a grandfather clock question which is weighing heavily on our minds as a major retailer of grandfather clocks.  We very much want the input of grandfather clock shoppers, especially those with a keen eye for grandfather clocks on sale and who are looking for grandfather clock discounts, but who still want the highest quality.

Grandfather clock shoppers, at least the ones we target, want varying combinations of the highest quality and best value grandfather clocks.  We find ourselves at an interesting crossroads in terms of the selections we may be able to offer our grandfather clock shoppers.  At a time when the global economy is obviously in stress, there is the unusual dynamic of some very high quality makers of grandfather clocks who are bringing among the very best in quality and value of grandfather clocks to market.  At the same time, the grandfather clock market is being flooded with cheap and poor quality imports, but that is a subject for other posts in our grandfather clocks blog.

OK, so you are a grandfather clocks shopper, and presumably you are reasonably comfortable shopping at our 1-800-4CLOCKS.com website or one of our stores.  But you also look at other websites.  So, what if we offered grandfather clocks which had our own brand name, which would be the Museum Clocks™ (that we have made and sold in past years, but not in large numbers) brand on the dial.  They would have high-grade well-known brand German mechanical cable driven clock movements, and would have solid wood cases made in North America.  Many of the clocks would in fact be inspired by museum quality grandfather clocks and among the most stunning antique grandfather clocks.  Grandmother clocks too!

Might you be as likely to buy a grandfather clock made with 1-800-4CLOCKS’ own Museum Clock™ grandfather clock brand name?  You would recognize the name of the German maker of the movement.  The case would be solid wood and exactly as described and pictured.  There would be a 2 year grandfather clock warranty against against manufacturing defects.

So how much of a premium, if any, might you be willing to pay for a Howard Miller grandfather clock, or one of the Ridgeway grandfather clocks or Hermle Floor Clocks, when you perhaps could get as good or better value, and different grandfather clock designs or models, by choosing one of the Museum Clocks™ Grandfather Clocks from 1-800-4CLOCKS.

Your input and feedback would be greatly valued and appreciated.  And because we are not providing specific grandfather clock comparisons here from which to choose, we fully recognize it will require just a bit of imagination and extra thought on your end.

Museum Clocks (tm) Grandfather Clocks by 1-800-4CLOCKS

The history of grandfather clocks is something we have written a lot about, both in this Blog and on our main website 1-800-4CLOCKS.com.  The grandfather clock, or back in 1650 around the time and in later years was better known as a Floor Clock or Tallcase Clock or Longcase Clock, was first made by abc, based on the principles of xyz, spread throughout Europe, generally from West to East in horological history.  The free-standing weights in a standalone grandfather clock, or Floor Clock, were another identifying feature separating grandfather clocks wall wall clocks and regulators, and mantel clocks, and what many still refer too, incorrectly by the way, as grandfather wall clocks (if the clock hangs on a wall, it is by definition not a grandfather clock or a grandmother clock, even if it still resembles one with its overall look and features).

So when grandfather clock shoppers are scouting about for new grandfather clocks discounts and trying to compare grandfather clocks by brand and features, what are the relevant parts of grandfather clocks history.

It’s really the innovations over the last 20 years that most grandfather clock shoppers, with the exception of those looking only at antique grandfather clocks, will need to understand to contrast and compare.

Here we will highlight some of the key points for focus when doing grandfather clock comparison shopping:

1. Quality – Easily the most important point a clocks shopper may get confused about is whether the grandfather clock brands they are comparing are of comparable quality and worksmanship.  This is especially true over the last decade or two as there has been an increasing tide of cheaply made imports flooding the USA and worldwide grandfather clocks marketplace.  Some of these cheap brands, which not so coincidentally have names that make them sound unusually similar to brands or established makers in general, arrive at the customer’s doorstep if not DOA – dead on arrival – either on life support or requiring much labor on the part of the purchaser to actually put the thing together.  Guess what?  Many of these same brands will have no instruction or assembly manual, and the customer has no idea with whom to follow up.  We know because we get many calls from individuals who have bought these so-called grandfather clocks and are practically begging for help.  Worse yet, many of these purchases have taken place at some of the biggest most well-known and respected department stores — and apparently in many cases, for whatever reason, these customers are not able to get help or refunds there (perhaps it’s because they have already opened the box and started working on it, or too much time has elapsed)?

2.  Buy a well respected brand – the best way by far to ensure that one is purchasing a quality grandfather clock is too stick with known brand names, and ideally also to purchase from stores that actually specialize in grandfather clocks, so that they can be there when questions inevitably arise, and can advise you on the pros and cons of different specific grandfather clock brands, specific Floor Clock models, and different types of grandfather clock movements and the many features which have proliferated in recent decades.

3.  Movements – there are essentially 4 categories of movements for grandfather clocks, in order of popularity and availability -

a. Cable driven mechanical grandfather clock movements – these grandfather clocks are the type that are wound in the dial or face, and generally wound in a circular motion with a winding crank key.  Most all of these movements are 8 days.  Most all nowadays also have three weights and a pendulum in the body of  the clock, and not coincidentally, 3 winding holes in the dial or face above, with winding in each of the holes bringing up each one of the three weights.  Generally the center weight is for time only.

b. Chain driven mechanical grandfather clock movements – while the top quality makers make fewer grandfather clock models with chain-driven grandfather clock movements, these clocks have maintained their popularity for a number of reasons.  The movements tend to be smaller, and the clocks are generally therefore in smaller grandfather clock bases, from a depth, width and even height perspective.  These clocks almost always will have a single grandfather clock chime, generally the Westminster Chime.  They will also have a chime-silence option, and that is usually about the extent of the features on chain driven grandfather clocks.  Many will have a faux (or fake) moondial, meaning it doesn’t revolve and is there purely for decorative purposes.  One of many reasons, aside from the generally lower price points of chain-driven clocks compared to cable-driven clocks, is that so many people have grown up with chain-driven clocks that sentimentality is frequently part of the buying equation.  Additionally, most grandfather clocks corporate gifts or promotional or retirement gifts are of the chain-driven grandfather clock variety.  That is simply a fact.

c.  Quartz-driven or battery operated grandfather clocks are relatively new, but many have been sold, and some are an excellent value.  There are pros and cons to a quartz grandfather clock.  The advantages can, but do not always necessarily include, a much lower price, volume control, auto-night shut-off, less depth, easy set-up, and no need to wind the grandfather clock (let the batteries do the work).  The disadvantages include a shorter movement life, less quality in the sound of any chime or chimes (because one is listening to a recording sound chip on a quartz grandfather clock instead of a real mechanical grandfather clock movement being struck with hammers with the others), and the fact that any somewhat serious clock collector would likely not view any quartz movement clock as a real and collectible clock.

d. Tubular chime grandfather clocks – we hesitate to even include this amazing type of grandfather clock, because generally only those who really know grandfather clocks and are connoisseurs of them, not to mention also having fairly deep pockets, would generally either even know what they are or be in a position to purchase one.  They are generally quite expensive, and even most clock shops do not know how to repair or necessarily even service a grandfather clock of this type.  Tubular chimes grandfather clocks have been around for well over a century, and most have either 5, or more usually 9, tubular chimes, which look like pipes, and are of varying sizes, and they hang int eh back of the case just behind the pendulum.  They usually but not always have cable-driven vs. chain-driven movements.  They usually play a choice of chimes, including Westminster, Whitington and St Michaels, and some play the Canterbury Chimes.  The BIG difference, other than price, is that these clocks have a truly rich and LOUD sound that can be heard far and wide within a house or home.  It is a deep sounding grandfather clock chime!

e.  Newer features – newer features NOT found on antique grandfather clocks, and introduced more recently and referenced in the appropriate context above, include automatic night shutoff options, illuminated grandfather clock dials, illuminated interiors of the grandfather clock when the door is glass, more chime options including the Beethoven Ave Maria grandfather clock chime and the Schubert Ode to Joy Chime, battery or quartz driven grandfather clock movements,  crystal pendulums, curio grandfather clocks, corner grandfather clocks, working moonphase or moondials on the grandfather clocks (there are some antique grandfather clocks with this feature), autowind mechanical grandfather clocks, 21st century and late 19th century contemporary case designs for grandfather clocks, atomic time or radio-controlled grandfather clocks, and other features that we are sure our grandfather clock blog readers will want to point out.

Howard Miller J. H. Miller II Grandfather Clock
List: $25,650.00

J H Miller II Howard Miller Tubular Chime Grandfather Clock 611-031  611031

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, in the Holy City of Mecca, has introduced the newest largest tower clock in the world, larger even than England’s 4 sided Big Ben Tower Clock in London’s Parliament.  It’s introduction was timed to coincide with the Muslim Holy Fasting Month of Ramadan.  You may be expecting a grandfather clock post here, but this one is very special.

The four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The clock faces are 43 × 43 m (141 × 141 ft).  Saudi Arabia will test what it is billing as the world’s largest clock, the official news agency reported Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. The tallest tower in the complex will stand as the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, and the largest hotel in the world, with a planned height of 601 m (1,972 ft), including a 200 ft spire. Upon completion, the structure would have the largest floor area of any structure in the world with 1,500,000 m2 (16,150,000 sq ft) of floor space. (AP Photo/ Saudi Press Agency)

The four-faced clock tower is seen under construction in the Holy City of Mecca August 11, 2011. REUTERS/Hassan Ali

Below is a better picture to give both the look and feel of the actual 4 sided tower and clock being erected:

We will keep you posted as more details about this amazing new tower clock emerge.  We would not be surprised to see grandfather clocks designs that emulate one or more of the 4 dials and design.  It is a natural fit.

Also, stay tuned for further information on the chimes that will no doubt be heard from this tower clock.  We expect some of the typical grandfather clock chimes, such as the Westminster Chime grandfather clock, but we may be pleasantly surprised by also hearing clock chimes of a distinctly different Mideast or Islamic nature.

When purchasing a grandfather clock or grandmother clock, especially when looking online vs. an an bricks and mortar Retail location, one faces a dizzying array of choices.  Some people start by searching on Google, Yahoo or Bing.  Others use comparison shopping websites.  And many many shoppers start their grandfather clocks discount shopping, or grandfather clocks on sale.

Is eBay a good place to look for brand new Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks or floor clocks by other makers?  It can be, but just like shopping online, one has to be extremely careful.  We ourselves at 1-800-4CLOCKS.com have an eBay Store which you can visit at  http://stores.ebay.com/Grandfather-Clocks.  We feature pretty much the entire Howard Miller Grandfather Clock Collection, including Howard Miller Presidential Grandfather Clocks and many Limited Edition grandfather clocks, including tubular chimes grandfather clocks, cable driven triple chime and Westminster chime mechanical clocks, and several chain-driven grandfather clocks.  Quartz, or battery-driven grandfather clocks, are also available, and are almost all at lower discounted price points.

One has a choice of many grandfather clock features, including auto-night shut-off, chime-silence option, volume control (on quartz grandfather clocks only), working rotating moon dials, subsidiary seconds dials, single, almost always Westminster, vs. triple chime grandfather clocks.  A few even have the choice of the Schubert Ave Maria and Beethoven Ode to Joy chimes.  Very few, but some, mechanical grandfather clocks, offer that option.

There are clear risks of buying on eBay, of which one must be keenly aware.  Many of our customers either call us up or shop on our main website after they first find out about us on eBay.  As one of Howard Miller Clocks largest Authorized Dealers, with a Better Business Bureau Rating to date of A, and with much positive feedback on eBay already.  Many sellers of new grandfather clocks are not authorized as dealers for the clocks they sell, such as Howard miller, or Hermle Grandfather Clocks or the Ridgeway grandfather clock collection.  If one buys a grandfather clock from a dealer who is not authorized, any warranty is automatically null and void.  Many shady operators sell well below the most competitive pricing available from Authorized dealers, and may not be dealing in legitimate merchandise, and the seller may be a fraud altogether.

Another risk is that many Authorized Dealers will sell floor models and pass them off as 100% brand new.  So you may end up getting a grandfather clock that has been sitting in a grandfather clock showroom for 2-4 years, having been touched by hundreds or thousands of people, have multiple years of wear and tear on the grandfather clock movement, and finally, may no longer be covered under manufacturer’s warranty (many decent clock dealers are completely unaware of this.

Pre-owned or used grandfather clocks carry with them the risk of developing a “money pit”, poring good money after bad to get, with the potential for many used grandfather clocks.  Many of the same risks exist for antique grandfather clocks, but that is really a wholly different clock purchase proposition.

Finally, while eBay can be a good and safe place to purchase clocks, if you are dealing with a reputable company, like us at 1-800-4CLOCKS, you may be able to get the best deal by visiting one of our stores or simply calling.  We are also very happy to educate the customer about the different types of grandfather clocks, including brands, movements, features, chimes and much more.  Shipping grandfather clocks overseas also creates special challenges.

Howard Miller Tubular Chime Grandfather Clock J H Miller II 611-030 611030

What is the value of my grandfather clock?  This is one of the most frequently asked questions, or FAQs, we receive, particularly by telephone.  More often than not, the caller will have little or no available information about the grandfather clock, or even the markings that may appear of the grandfather clocks dial or face or on the back of the clock movement.

Our general advice in valuing the replacement cost of a grandfather clock is to find the most comparable grandfather clock we currently have for sale.  Sounds easier than it is for many people.  Aside from the grandfather clock brand or maker, most people do not know the difference between a chain-driven grandfather clock (which is wound by pulling down on the usually 3 chains in the waist of the grandfather clock to bring up or effectively therefore wind the weights) and a cable driven grandfather clock (which is wound in the dial or face).  Then there is the question of whether the clock is a single chime grandfather clock, generally with the Westminster Chime (like the one in the Big Ben Tower Clock in London’s Parliament building), or a triple chime which generally includes the Whittington and St Michaels chimes, or very occasionally, the Schubert Ave Maria and Beethoven Ode to Joy clocks chimes.

Then there is the condition of the grandfather clocks both inside and out.  Most people who want a grandfather clock value don’t even know if their clock is in good working condition, or whether it has all of its grandfather clock parts.  Can you imagine trying to attain the value of a car without even knowing if it is in working condition!

The age of the grandfather clock is also critical.  A true antique grandfather clock, one that is over 100 years old, will have varying degrees of additional intrinsic value based on its maker, what we will call its inner substance, including the quality of the grandfather clock movement, and what special grandfather clock features it may have, such as nested bells, spiral gongs, tubular chimes, mercury pendulums, rocking ships or other grandfather clock automata or unusual features.  Some antique grandfather clocks or grandmother clocks have 30 hour movements vs an 8 day movement, which generally makes them less valuable.  Occasionally one may come across a grandfather clock regulator that may have a 30 day movement.  Who made the clock, whether it is all original, and whether and where it was signed by the maker also can make a huge difference.

There are many inquiries where people somehow expect us to telepathically tell them the worth of their grandfather clock.  It is not possible.

An inherent conflict of interest can also be present when individuals ask us to do grandfather clock appraisals.  How can we appraise a grandfather clock when we might also be making an offer to purchase the clock.  This is stark conflict of interest to which we or any reputable arts or antiques dealer needs to draw clear boundaries.

But thanks for asking us about the value of your grandfather clock.

Should a prospective grandfather clocks shopper who is considering purchasing either a new grandfather clocks or perhaps a special antique grandfather clock spotted at a local antique clock or general antiquities store treat them as equivalent purchases.  Not at all.  An antique grandfather clock can have certain advantages, including perhaps a rich provenance, a likely much louder gong or strike sound on the hour or half-hour, perhaps greater investment potential, and maybe even some unique design, or less likely special grandfather clock feature, which would make it especially endearing to a floor clocks shopper.

At the same time, when one is buying an antique grandfather clock, the first phrase that comes to the mind of this experienced grandfather clock shopper is caveat emptor.  Two of the biggest and very real risks are, first, and perhaps most likely, that one will end up purchasing a grandfather clock that ends up becoming a project clock, and at the same time a money pit, and may not ever work as well as the way a brand new grandfather clock would work.  In these circumstances, it can not only be harder and much more expensive to find a qualified repair person to fix the clock, but then the risk of parts not being available, or need to be custom-made at some real expense and likely time delay, starts to come into play.

The second biggest risk when considering the purchase of an antique grandfather clock is that the clock may in horological terminology be known as what is called a marriage.  Now while in our civil society “a marriage” is generally considered a good thing adding value to society-at-large, in serious clock collecting and investing nomenclature, a “clock marriage” is a “dirty term”.  It means that the case and the movement, and/or perhaps other parts as well, were not together when the clock was first made, but were put together at some point more recently.  While there can be many good reasons to do this, such as if a clock is in a fire and is rebuilt in a new grandfather clock case or fitted to an older one, it will not be considered a “genuine clock” by serious collectors, and any investment value may essentially be lost.  While many marriages can be skillfully hidden, most real expert clockmakers will be able to spot a marriage if they take apart the clock and look inside.

Antique grandfather clocks will also likely not have the same great chime selection, the vast majority being time and strike only, not will the have what we refer to as the “bells and whistles” that many of the new clocks have, such as automatic nightime shutoff, chime-silent option, lower volumes overall, more of a choice or perhaps any actual chimes, and working right out of the container, just to name some of the highlights.

New clocks, such as those made by Howard Miller grandfather clocks and Hermle Clocks, and Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks, Bulova Grandfather Clocks,  the Kieninger grandfather clock collection, and the soon-to-be-unveiled Americana Grandfather clock collection (which we are very excited about).  Most all of the mechanical grandfather clocks have German 8 day movements, and are highly reliable, and have solid wood cases.  What you pay for is what you get, and a grandfather clock customer knows what he or she is getting.  Other options can include illuminated dials, chimes including in addition to the most popular westminster chime, also the Ave Maria and Ode to Joy chimes, which were only even introduced on grandfather clocks in recent years.

When purchasing a new clock, there is also the possibility of purchasing a Limited Edition Grandfather Clocks, many of which are quite spectacular, and even Howard Miller’s Limited Edition Tubular Chime Clock known as the JH Miller II Grandfather Clock.  The Howard Miller Presidential Grandfather Clock Series and the Ambassador Collection made by Howard Miller also offer the highest-end grandfather clocks they make available, and are probably the most highly sought after brand of grandfather clock today.

The reasonably recent introduction of grandfather clocks, wall clocks, and mantel clocks designed by Ty Pennington for Howard Miller as certainly added to the cache of the brand.

New grandfather clock vs. antique grandfather clocks – it’s a combination of personal preferences and a role of the dice.   In any event, first do your grandfather clock research, ideally with the help of an experienced professional.

Below is a picture of a Hershcede Antique grandfather clock in a Gothic style that stood in a large Church in New York City for probably at least the last 80+ years.  We will soon be putting this clock up for sale, but here is a sneak preview:

Hershcede Antique Grandfather Clock Gothic from NYC Church Westminster Chimes

Howard Miller Reagan Presidential Grandfather Clock

When trying to both understand and name the visible parts of a grandfather clock, many individuals do not know where to begin.

Most people know that grandfather clocks have a pendulum, and weights, and are in a free-standing case, but when one gets beyond that point, may people, grandfather clock discount shoppers included, become at a loss for words as to how to describe the different parts.  Even having said the above, many people confuse the weights with the pendulum and vice versa.

We came across one excellent diagram, with credit given below, for the various parts of a grandfather clock:

HOME :: SCIENCE :: MEASURING DEVICES :: MEASURE OF TIME :: GRANDFATHER CLOCK

grandfather clock

Grandfather Clocks Diagram

Clock with a pendulum that is operated by weights and housed in a tall (usually over 2 m high) straight body, which stands upright on the floor.

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/science/measuring-devices/measure-time/grandfather-clock.php

The in this case split pediment or swans neck is shown at the top, with the finial sticking out at the very top center of the clock.  The working moondial, although sometimes they are stationary, rotates ones every 29 1/2 days in keeping with the lunar calendar cycle of a full moon.  The dial, hour and minute hands, and in this case a subsidiary seconds dial are also shown.

This particular grandfather clock is a chain-driven model, not a cable driven grandfather clock, and is therefore wound by pulling down on each of the 3 chains, one at a time, to bring up each of the 3 weights to the top of the weight case.  Because this clock has 3 weights, we know that it must be a chiming grandfather clock.  The pendulum swings back and forth as the weights gradually do down over time, most likely over an 8 day period.  And the plinth of the grandfather clock can be seen at the bottom of the case.

We like this grandfather clock diagram, and it’s great to see referenced sources like this available online to grandfather clocks shoppers, whether or not they are looking for a brand name like a Howard Miller grandfather clocks or Ridgeway or Hermle grandfather clock, or so they can just be more informed shoppers when looking for high-quality grandfather clocks on sale.

Should one purchase a new grandfather clock?  What about a so-called used antique grandfather clock.  Antique grandfather clocks are used grandfather clocks, are they not?  Are the floor clocks made in the last 20 or 30 or 50 years as good as the new grandfather clocks made today, by such makers as Howard Miller Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, and Hermle Clocks.   Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks, Ridgeway Floor Clocks, and Hermle Grandfather Clocks and Grandmother Clocks are among the most popular high-end brands on the market today.  Interestingly, these same grandfather clock makers have each been manufacturing grandfather clocks for nearly a century or more.

So what is an educated grandfather clock shopper looking for the best selection and savings to do?  When considering new vs. used grandfather clocks, we think it is best to compare “apples to apples”, meaning to compare for example a new howard miller grandfather clock to a pre-owned or used howard miller grandfather clock, or a new hermle grandfather clock to a pre-owned hermle grandfather clock.  Given the many thousands of makers of antique grandfather clocks and antique grandmother clocks, trying to compare a new or used howard miller grandfather clock to an antique grandfather clock would require the comparison of a dizzying array of details which would be at best difficult to compare.

So should one seriously consider buying a pre-owned or used grandfather clock, such as a howard miller grandfather clock.  We would suggest the same caution a smart shopper would or should use when considering shopping for a new or pre-owned automobile.  The most basic tenet being sure one knows what one is purchasing, and ideally also getting a “no lemon” guarantee or a guarantee that lasts for a meaningful amount of time.

The risk is that one buys a money pit, and throws good money after bad in trying to get one’s grandfather clock, whether made my howard miller or ridgeway or hermle or kieninger, to run as well as it did when it was new, and to have the longevity that would come with a new grandfather clock.  Also like automobiles, if a grandfather clock is not well cared for, one will end up paying a lot more over time in grandfather clock maintenance and for grandfather clock repairs.

At 1-800-4CLOCKS.com, we have to date resisted the temptation of offering pre-owned or used howard miller grandfather clocks that would also come with a warranty we would offer, as but one example of offering used grandfather clocks.

But as with most things in life, we are keeping our grandfather clock options open.

When one thinks about buying one the best types of grandfather clocks available, the term black forest grandfather clocks frequently leaps to mind.  The Black Forest region of Germany has for centuries been known as a center for high quality clocks of all kinds, including wall clocks and mantle clocks, but probably best known overall for black forest cuckoo clocks.

The wood harvested from trees is the black forest region of Germany is especially well suited for carving, and many many thousands of craftsmen have become expert in carving spectacular clock cases, most notably for Vienna regulators and German cuckoo clocks.

Interestingly, Germany, perhaps not coincidentally, became a center for some of the finest clock movements and mechanism makers, including companies like Gustav Becker Clocks, Winterhalder Hoffmeier, Franz Hermle Grandfather Clocks, Schneider Cuckoo Clocks, Kieninger clocks, Junghans clock company and many others.

Today, there are really only two makers of high-end mechanical grandfather clocks that manufacture movements in any quantity.  One is the Hermle Clock company, which also makes its own line of grandfather clocks, which can legitimately be thought of as Black Forest Grandfather Clocks, and the other which is Kieninger Clocks, which are used today in Howard Miller’s mechanical grandfather clocks, as they are in Ridgeway grandfather and grandmother clocks and Kieninger Floor Clocks.

Interestingly, before Howard Miller Clocks purchased Kieninger Clocks several years ago, they used to have only German made Hermle movements in their mechanical grandfather clocks.  After purchasing Kieninger, Howard Miller gradually began swapping out their grandfather clock models with German Kieninger grandfather clock movements instead of the German Hermle grandfather clocks movements.

And they can all be considered Black Forest Grandfather Clocks, at least as it relates to their mechanical grandfather clock movements.