In one of the season’s most anticipated sales, Christie’s Paris will auction pieces the legendary Armand Albert Rateau crafted for the Duchess of Alba

Design’s boldface names gather in New York to toast this summer’s best art and antiques fair, Masterpiece London

We like to think of our 2 blogs www.ClocksBlog.com and this blog www.GrandfatherClocksBlog.com as the ultimate guide to comparing grandfather clock brands and THE Grandfather Clock Buying Guide, helping consumers to understand the different grandfather clock styles, including traditional vs contemporary grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks, knowing at least some of the differences between the best grandfather clock brands, understanding the features that may or may not be in a grandfather clock, including the grandfather clock chimes, knowing who are the best makers of mechanical grandfather clock movements, understanding the different types of grandfather clocks movements – whether it be quartz chain-driven, cable-driven or tubular chimes, and understanding the more recent and older and ever-changing history of grandfather clock manufacturers and grandfather clock makers.

This is a very tall grandfather clock order, yet we believe we have here a veritable treasure trove of information that would be useful for anyone in the market for a grandfather clock.  Whether you are thinking about purchasing an antique grandfather clock, a vintage grandfather or grandmother clock, or whether you are trying to understand the marketplace in general and whether to buy a new grandfather clock, we at 1-800-4CLOCKS are there for you both with these blogs, with many grandfather clock resources available on our website at 1-800-4CLCOKS.com, and we are always only a toll free phone call away at 1-800-4CLOCKS, and are delighted to talk with anyone who is serious about being in the market for a grandfather clock or grandmother clock, not to mention mantle clocks, cuckoo clocks, wall clocks, atomic clocks, and so much more.

We spend a lot of time to delving into the history of grandfather clocks themselves, the evolution of the major grandfather clock brands and how that has changed over time, and continues to be ever-changing.  We attempt to demystify the many features offered on many grandfather clocks, including illuminated dials, automatic nighttime shut-off, working vs faux moonphase dials and so much more.  The grandfather clock chimes are another key element that any thoughtful grandfather clock buyer will want to understand completely, and we address not only the different mechanical grandfather clock movement makers, as well as triple chime grandfather clocks vs single generally Westminster Chimes Grandfather Clocks, and when and where one might expect to see some of the less common grandfather clocks songs or chimes such as Beethoven’s Ave Maria or Schubert’s Ode to Joy.

Understanding the differences within and between grandfather clock brands, such as Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks compared to the Hermle Grandfather Clock collection, or Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks, Kieninger Clocks and Americana Grandfather Clocks.  All have pros and cons, and many have big differences even within their own grandfather clock line.

We even include some of the most popular posts about grandfather, grandmother, wall, mantle, cuckoo, atomic and other clocks on our main website, which we term the Best of, like Greatest grandfather clock Hits of music, for posts that our customers and readers have found especially useful.  We have one post on our grandfather clock blog which is titled Moving Grandfather Clocks, and that page is the single most visited page on our website.  We warrant the advice for what you as a customer pay for it, which is nothing, yet we have never had a negative comment or even any suggestions for changing this grandfather clock blog greatest hit of all time.

Any grandfather clock or other timepiece subjects you would like us to cover?  Just make a Comment to this post, or send us an email, or feel free to call us toll-free.  If you want to become a grandfather clock blog contributor, that is something to which we are also always open.

The Swiss watchmaker collaborates with Hermes on a limited-edition timepiece that runs almost indefinitely

The many incarnations of an elegant 18th-century Virginia plantation home

In early-20th-century America, two powerful men were engaged in a contest to possess the world’s most remarkable watch.

Bricks and mortar grandfather clock stores vs online grandfather clock shops is becoming more and more of a necessary and realistic choice for many shopper not only of grandfather clocks, but also of wall cocks and mantle clocks by the highest end clock makers such as Howard Miller Clocks, Ridgeway Clock Company, Hermle Clock, Kieninger Clocks, Americana Clocks and, more.

Not only are actual clock shops a dwindling yet hopefully not dying breed – we at 1-800-4CLOCKS.com were forced to close our NYC Grand Central Station Clock store location not for economic reasons but simply because of changing times and needs for existing spaces, and the lack of affordable comparable retail space available, especially with more and more competition from companies similar to ours like us who also have a web-based presence in addition to one or multiple home store locations.

A challenge has been to try attempt to bring as much of the home store shopping experience to the internet, while at the same time maintaining our retail store presence for our more local geographic market.  When a customer is considering one of several high-end Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks or a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock or one of Hermle Floor Clocks, there is a natural inclination to want to see and hear and touch the actual grandfather clock model one is considering purchasing.  At the same time, ironically, we find that a good percentage of grandfather clock shoppers, even those who are searching for grandfather clocks on sale and discount grandfather clocks are frequently the same people who are most in need of a genuine education of the different types on grandfather clocks, the major clock brands, the ones to stay away from at all costs, the differences within individual grandfather clock makers separate from traditional grandfather clocks vs contemporary grandfather clocks, and also the various features, the types of grandfather clock movements, including single chime Westminster Chimes, and Triple Chime Grandfather Clocks, which mostly include the Whittington and St Michael Chimes, but sometimes also Beethovens Ode to Joy and Schuberts Ave Maria.  There are also grandfather clock, mantle clock and wall clock movement differences including tubular chime grandfather clock movement vs cable driven movements and chain driven movements, and even quartz or battery operated movements which nowadays are used in all clock types.

So what is a grandfather clock shopper to do?  Fortunately, in some ways, with careful vetting, researching and locating the grandfather clock or mantel clock or wall clock of your dreams nay be made much easier with trusted internet sites and credible knowledgeable individuals who will be there to answer honestly both the simple and the more complex questions about any clock purchase, whether it be Howard Miller, Hermle, Kieninger, Ridgeway or another, and whether a grandfather clock, grandmother clock, mantel clock, gallery wall clock, atomic clock. novelty clock, and especially antique clocks and antique grandfather clocks, one of our specialties.

To us, as they used to say in grade school and clock school, there truly is no such thing as a stupid clock question, and it is in our DNA and everyone who works with us to attempt to be as informative and patient as possible with any and every prospective customer, whether they end up buying from us or not.  Our policy for years has been to ever work on a clock sales commission basis, and we find some flabbergasted customers when we occasionally tell them for whatever the reason that we think they are better off buying the clock we are discussing at another dealer or even from another individual person.  Of course we need to make money to stay in the clock business, yet we are also driven both by a love of clocks, and seeing that same clock love in the eyes of our customers and helping them with the clock or clocks that will most help make their space or that of a loved one more special to them.

So grandfather clocks online or bricks and mortar clock shopping, or some of both, we strive to give clock customers all the tools they need to make the best decision for them, their families and other gift recipients.  One of our favorite telephone calls to get, even if a sale or non-sale takes 2-3 months to play out, is that I think I want a grandfather clock but I do not really know anything about them.  What can you tell me?  We think even Aristotle would have enjoyed those clock discussions as much as we do.  Perhaps one of the children of the writer of this post, who both have as one of their life’s goals to build a working and reusable time machine, will enable us to test this clock theory and hypothesis.

Howard Miller J. H. Miller II Grandfather Clock

Model 611-031 611031 Limited Edition Tubular Chime Howard Miller Clock by Howard Miller Clocks

 

 

As a long-time leading retailer of grandfather clocks, we are frequently asked for our grandfather clock catalog.  This is especially true because of our roots in direct marketing as a grandfather clock catalog retailer with a memorable toll-free number.  Of course we have always sold and featured wall clocks, mantel clocks, cuckoo clocks, grandmother clocks, atomic clocks, antique grandfather clocks, and antique timepieces of all sorts including pocket watches and some amazing antique grandmother clocks, regulators, congreve clocks, inclined plane clocks, automata, sterling silver sundial-compass combinations and much more.

Antique clocks always present a special challenge to market in a catalog, as any experienced auction house knows.  There is almost always just one of the antique clocks or watches for sale, so listing these timepieces with a fixed price can create many headaches.  Yet at the same time, despite the currently appearing ubiquitous presence of auctions online and off, from eBay to Christies to Sothebys, many buyers and sellers prefer the old fixed price antique market model, much like one would find in a fine antique clock and watch shop.

Many readers of this blog post, the fifty and over generations, will remember to some degree the old Sears and Roebuck Catalog, that literally set the standard for the catalog direct marketing revolution that it began.  Even the Catalogs themselves became collector’s items, as did reprints of the original Sears Catalogs.

However, fast-forward one hundred years into the future, meaning today, and the web and individual websites like 1-800-4CLOCKS.com have taken over as the modern-days Catalogs of choice.  New grandfather clocks and wall clock collections can be added daily.  Grandmother Clocks on backorder can be noted as such so grandmother clocks on backorder will not disappoint customers.  Complete new lines and brands can be added in a day.  Consumer expectations about the customer shopping experience have gone through the roof, as grandfather clock shoppers and those searching for wall clocks discounts and mantel clocks on sale expect that anything they see on a website for sale is absolutely in stock.

Grandfather clock makers such as Howard Miller Clocks, Ridgeway Grandfather Clock Collection, Kieninger Clocks, and Hermle Floor Clocks are much better then ever before about providing more current inventory data.  Yet at the same time, this grandfather clock, wall clock and mantle clock data will not be real time.  And some clocks, including Kieninger Grandfather Clocks and wall clocks and mantle clocks, and some of the Hermle clock models, including Hermle Grandfather Clocks and Mantel and Wall Clocks can have a 2-4 month lead time and are generally considered prepaid custom orders.  This is hard to communicate either in an old-fashioned direct marketing catalog and even in a great website like the one we have at 1-800-4CLOCKS.

The good news is that with the advent of the internet, we are able to offer both selection and savings never before imagined even 20 years ago.  More choices, higher discounts on the best grandfather clocks, better pictures of each clock, and even the ability to hear a specific clock chime and offer supersize pictures can all really recreate the grandfather clock gallery shopping experience.  A tradeoff is that many fewer of us bricks and mortar-type stores are surviving, especially as new and competing technologies are vying for some of the same shopping dollars that were previous spent on grandfather clocks and wall clocks.  Not only can one see the current time on most any personal computer or MacBook, but also on iPhones and other mobile devices including the Samsung Galaxy.

Having said that, there is nothing that competes with the old world charm of a grandfather clock or wall clock or mantle clocks, whether a new or antique clock.  A grandfather clock is truly the heartbeat of the home.

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