“Hello, I am very interested in purchasing the Howard Miller J.H. Miller II Grandfather Clock Model 611-031 (611031) with tubular chimes, or perhaps the Howard Miller J.H. Miller Grandfather Clock Model 611-030 (611030), which looks identical, but is several thousand dollars less expensive.  I would ideally like to see any grandfather clock I purchase in person.  May I stop by one of your stores to compare these clocks, and perhaps some other Howard Miller, Ridgeway, and Hermle Grandfather Clocks I have also found quite intriguing”.

The above grandfather clock sale inquiry is not at all unusual.  People, especially in an ideal world, want to see and hear and even touch all the choices before them in person.  Some grandfather clocks shoppers come carrying an array of wood samples, others carrying paint color chips, some bring along a friend for a second opinion, and some simply want to see and hear how each grandfather clock might sound, and the differences and similarities between and among different grandfather clock makers.

I know if I was considering spending several thousand dollars on a grandfather clock or floor clock, I would surely want to see it and hear it in person before I bought it, even id I knew it was made by a quality maker with an excellent reputation.  Having said that, there are literally hundreds of grandfather clock models to choose from, and at least in the New York tri-state area, which includes New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, it is difficult to find any place that will have even a significant number of new grandfather clocks on display.  We had in our Grand Central Station Store for many years, until we were forced to close it after the entire floor on which we were located was taken over and occupied by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, maybe 3-4 grandfather clocks on display at any one time, and as far as we knew, that was the largest selection in the New York City area.  The economics of selling grandfather clocks, and mantle clocks and wall clocks etc. has led over the years to a continuing and ongoing reduction in the number of brick and mortar stores selling both new and antique grandfather clocks.

We still make sure to keep some grandfather clocks on display in one or more of our locations, but when one adds in space for wristwatches and pocket watches, not to mention space for repair of mechanical cable driven and chain driven grandfather clocks, keywound wall clocks, antique mantel clocks and much more, it takes up space.  We try to keep much inventory in antique clocks and antique pocket watches (and like to purchase collections of old pocketwatches and wristwatches, and even clocksmith tools, whether the timepieces are working or not).

We frequently have to ask our clock customers to make a leap of faith, that yes, the grandfather clock will look as good and sound as good, or maybe better, in person.  We look for ways to help people deal with this legitimate desire to see a clock before plunking down thousands of dollars.

The good news is that when we get feedback from customers who buy without first seeing the grandfather clock in person, the feedback is almost universally that the grandfather clock was MUCH NICER overall than they expected.  A satisfied grandfather clocks customer and owner makes it all worthwhile!

Howard Miller J.H. Miller Grandfather Clock Model 611-030 (611030) (on left)

Howard Miller J.H. Miller II Grandfather Clock Model 611-031 (611031) (on right)

The writer of this blog post has always been a sucker for a clock with a moonphase dial, sometimes also referred to as moondials, whether moonphase grandfather clocks, moonphase mantel clock or bracket clock, or moonphase wall clock.  And watches too!

With antique clocks, dials with a moonphase were especially prized, and were found most often, when they were found, on grandfather clocks or floor clocks.  The lunar cycle is 29 1/2 days, which is one full revolution of the moondial on the moonphase clock.  When there is a full moon outside, the clock is supposed to show a full moon at the top center of the moonphase dial.  It will take another 29 1/2 days to be in the exact same position again.  In the olden days, these days were actually used by farmers to help to know when to plant crops.  They were also of use for people traversing the oceans, although a movement that would work on a clock with enough reliability was invented later and also had multiple uses for navigation and charting voyages.

In more recent years, moondials are seen on many types of clocks.  They are also on wristwatches too, as well as some antique pocket watches. Many clocks, particular in the relatively lower price ranges, and generally with all chain-driven mechanical grandfather clocks, the moonphase dials are faux dials (the nice, and French, word for fake), and are stationary and do not move.  hey are for decorative purposes only.  Most higher-end cable driven grandfather clocks, particular by makers such as Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks, and Ridgeway Clocks, have working moonphase moondials on their grandfather clocks.

A working moonphase dial on a new or antique grandfather clock is a great feature, if one can afford a clock in that generally somewhat higher grandfather clocks price range.  Keep an eye out for grandfather clock discounts and individual grandfather clocks for sale that have this feature.  You very likely will not be disappointed, whether a grandfather clocks enthusiast or not.

Howard Miller Stewart Grandfather Clock Model 610-948 with working moonphase dial

We are very pleased to announce that we will soon be adding the famous My Grandfather Clock Song sung by a great group, which will be posted for your listening pleasure on our website 1-800-4CLOCKS.com.  This song, written by Henry Work Clay in 1876, is responsible for popularizing the term grandfather clocks starting from then and increasing through to the present time.

It was not until some time after 1876 when Henry Clay Work wrote “My Grandfather’s Clock” – and known by many as The Grandfather Clocks Song – which became extremely popular especially in the USA, and gradually replaced the names of long case and tall case clocks to grandfather clocks to most people. The Chorus of the Grandfather Clock Song is perhaps the part that will look and sound most familiar to people.

The Chorus is:

Ninety years without slumbering,

His life’s seconds numbering,

It stopped, short, never to go again, when the old man died.

First Verse:

My grandfather’s clock was too large for the shelf,

so it stood ninety years on the floor.

It was taller by half than the old man himself,

though it weighed not a pennyweight more.

It was bought on the morn of the day he was born,

and was always his treasure and pride.

But it stopped, short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Second Verse:

In watching its pendulum swing to and fro,

many hours had he spent while a boy.

And in childhood and manhood the clock seemed to know,

and to share both his grief and his joy.

For it struck twenty four when he entered at the door,

with a blooming and beautiful bride,

But it stopped, short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Third Verse:

My grandfather said that of those he could hire,

not a servant so faithful he found.

For it wasted no time and had but one desire,

at the close of each week to be wound.

And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face,

and its hands never hung by its side.

But it stopped, short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Fourth and Last Verse:

It rang an alarm in the dead of the night,

an alarm that for years had been dumb,

And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight,

that his hour of departure had come.

Still the clock kept the time, with a soft muffled chime,

as we silently stood by his side.

But it stopped, short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Almost everyone has heard of Fashionistas, and has their own different interpretation of the meaning.  Well, watch out, because a new breed on consumers are emerging who  may do to Grandfather Clocks what Fashionistas have done to the world of fashion.  Anyone care to guess how the grandfather clock of the future might be affected?

A GrandfatherClocks-ionista is a person devoted to grandfather clocks, particularly those that are rare and unique, or very high-end. It is a term used to define a person, whether a serious collector or passionate timepiece shopper, with a penchant for grandfather clocks shopping and a natural flair for combining both traditional and contemporary clocks styles.  In today’s society, being a GrandfatherClocks-ionista is by no means a negative term.

GrandfatherClocksionistas simply look at Grandfather Clocks as Art, and the sense of style they develop along the way is the true masterpiece.  They are very knowledgeable and realistic when it comes to timepiece and horological trends, and mixing home decor and interior decorating and design fashions in with their current tastes in clocks.

GrandfatherClocksionista is the lexical combination of the words GrandfatherClocks, and Sandinista, a Nicaraguan authoritarian political party.  Despite recent trends to make this term more acceptable, it should be noted that while its etymology connotes negative political consequences when used in North America, when combined with another term like the horological Grandfather Clocks, it would take on an air of levity and poking fun at the serious grandfather clocks collector.  People might think of this term as more like the Grandfather Clocks Police when it comes to looking at and commenting upon grandfather clock design and trends in timepieces.

Ultimate, the GrandfatherClocks-ionista is one who believes in the power of Grandfather Clocks and the exalted nature of wall clocks, mantel clocks, atomic clocks, and watches too.  They may know, or at least think they know, all of the major Grandfather Clocks brands such as Howard Miller Clocks, Bulova Grandfather Clocks, the Ridgeway Grandfather Clock Collection, and Hermle Floor Clocks.  And also a lot about antique grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks too.

We will advise as we see this trend increasing or tapering off.  Let us know what you see and hear any time about clocks as it relates to this trend and timepieces.

The fashion police.
Fashionista is the lexical combination (see ‘portmanteau’) of the words Fashion, which is the socially decided (see ‘groupthink’) garb to be worn by those wishing to be accepted in high society, and Sandinista, a Nicaraguan authoritarian political party.

When I asked a customer today who was clearly looking for the best grandfather clock sale prices and grandfather clocks discount, what might be a good subject for a blog post for this blog, he gave a ready answer.  I was shocked and impressed both by the clocks topic and the firmness and swiftness with which he responded: “Imagine a world without grandfather clocks, or a world where wall clocks and mantel clocks had never been invented”.  Now those are 2 big points packed into one concise statement.  But it did get me thinking …..

Upon reflecting on some of the most significant advances in the 1600s and 1700s, and before the industrial revolution, timekeepers and clocks in general may well have helped paved the way for both the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.  When thinking about standardization, globalization, precision engineering and manufacturing, thinking about uncharted territories both on the Earth and in the Skies, not to mention industrial engineering and design, timepieces do stand out as perhaps one of the greatest leaps forward during this these Centuries.

Long case and tallcase clocks, which later came to be known as grandfather clocks, we prized and used by those that could afford them in their residences, those that could use them as an anchor or feature in their establishment, and in many cases used by those who worked for the most wealthy and had somewhat less sophisticated models of the very same devices their owners so treasured.  Farmers also used grandfather clock moondials to help them predict when the next full moon would appear (every 29 1/2 days) and plan and plant their work schedules and crop management accordingly.

There was a time in England, separate from the handy timekeeping of Big Ben in London’s Parliament, where by law public clocks had to be placed in selected Establishments and Places so that everyone could have equal access to the most available correct time.  Seems somewhat akin to the discussions in recent years of equal access to all for the internet and for wireless wifi or broadband connections being available to all.

While it would on the one hand be easy to make light of the above, the more one thinks about it, the more one may well be able to convincingly make the argument that the clock and pocket watch revolution went hand-in-hand with the industrial revolution and the giant steps forward in manufacturing.

Only yesterday I was holding a 110 year old pocket watch in my hand, and remarking to a family member that it looked as if it were made yesterday and was as in good, which was excellent, operating condition as it had been over 100 years ago when it was manufactured.

Too bad they don’t make anything quite like they used to!

With the advent of consumer electronics and the industrial age, many quite valuable mechanical grandfather clocks, as well as wall clocks and mantel clocks, had their works replaced when they broke down, with battery operated movements.  In most of these instances, the mechanical movements were simply tossed into the garbage as broken worthless remnants of a bygone era.  And many of these movements were simply replaced with new “state of the art” battery operated quartz movements.

This was as true for mechanical watches as it was for antique grandfather clocks and mantle clocks and wall clocks.  The reality, as many discovered years later, is that essentially threw away, or allowed to be gutted, the very core of the mechanical clock or watch, and with a critical component of the value of the timepiece.  As most all serious clock collectors know, a mismatched case and movement, whether for a grandfather clock or a pocket watch, are known, rather ironically, as a “marriage”.  Serious collectors as a general rule will not even collect a marriage, and Dealers who try to pass of a “marriage” as all original would be frowned upon as untrustworthy.

Some forward thinking individuals, perhaps with the help of their grandfather clocks repair person, suggested that individuals keep the movement even when it was broken, but just store it separately.  This was a very wise move indeed.

In this post we have focused on replacing movements in antique grandfather clocks, wall clocks, and mantel clocks.  We will soon also post here on this Grandfather Clocks Blog what the considerations are when deciding whether or not to replace vs. repair a movement on a more modern clock.  Different thinking and logic frequently applied.  But that is what people thought when they replacing Rolex mechanical movements with quartz battery driven ones.  Anyway, stay tuned for our advice on more recent clocks, to discuss our current wisdom.

Oh, but if we only knew we and our ancestors would have held on to our old Model Ts, Packards, and Studebakers.  And do not forget the many many thousands of baseball card collections that were thrown out by parents during home clean-ups.

Most readers of this Blog will have heard of the book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”.

Well, interestingly, one of the reasons we entered this business many years ago is that, aside from our joy from and pleasure with dealing with clocks customers and the public at large, we also found satisfying our relationships with people in the profession worldwide to be trustworthy, trouble-free and enjoyable. We work around the globe, and a very significant percentage of our business is outside of North America.

Of the many times we deal with grandfather clocks service centers around the globe, we have by and large been pleased with the quality and integrity in our dealings, and the fact that the starting point, whether it was with wall clocks, mantel clocks, or a grandfather clock, was one of trust and mutual respect.

We have found this to be as true for people who are customers as for those who service the various grandfather clocks, mantle clocks, and wall clock models.

Well, everyone we suppose has their weaknesses, not to mention their brighter and dimmer moments. And the current deep recessionary climate has obviously taken its toll across almost all sectors and many millions of individuals. Economic pressure affects different people to different degrees, not even to mention that different industries and companies and individuals are all affected to varying and various degrees.

Now for the $64,000 question, or the BIG question, for those who may be too young to recognize the name of that long-ago television game show whose title became part of the American lexicon. Does this poor economic climate make people meaner? More short-tempered? More cautious? Less thoughtful?

Interestingly, among our customer base, aside from seeing a dramatic increase in the number of those who want to know what their antique grandfather clocks, or weight driven wall clocks, or nested bell chiming mantel clocks are worth, customers are just as nice, and just as respectful. There is no doubt and no surprise grandfather clocks customers of all types are searching for the best deals available, and we would be shocked if that were not the case.

Now clock and watch repair people, of which we are also, seem to be another story. It has been noted by many and is more or less accepted as fact, that clock repair people, also known as clocksmiths, and watch repair people, also known as watchsmiths, are a dying breed — only in the sense they they (we) are dwindling in numbers and the demand for services is decreasing as well. While there has been some resurgence in the collecting of antique clocks, and eBay has helped fuel an increase in pocket watch collecting, the general trends are undeniable, particularly when including the younger generations. It will be quite interesting to see if the iPod and iPhone generation purchase the best watches by Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Vacheron, and Patek, not even to mention Casio or Timex, or whether their wrists will be sporting something else. Even this ignores the unrelenting rise of the quartz movement vs. the mechanical movement, which greatly effects the repairs that might or might not be necessary over the life of any given watch.

But have clocksmiths changed their ways, or are they still on pretty good behavior the way consumers purchasing or shopping for grandfather clocks, atomic clocks, mantel clocks and wall clocks seem to be? Well, we know we have not changed our ways. Most all of those we deal with day in and day out are as great in every way as usual. We notice some concern up-front about the timing of payment, but that is natural given the state of the current economy.

One rather shocking development has been, in our view, how people react to things they are not familiar with or and perhaps ignorant about, when addressing new ways of marketing grandfather clocks. We had proposed an absolute win-win situation for clocksmiths to raise their internet profile, knowing by and large that this group as a whole is not exactly on the leading edge in this arena. Our sense is the economic climate has given many of them more time on their hands to be fretful about things they know little about. We will not comment here on the amazingly irresponsible vitriol from those who perhaps knew least what they were talking about. One can only hope they know more when it comes to grandfather clocks and mantel clocks. Wall clocks and atomic clocks too.

We took some time comfort and read with amusement something that may well apply to the small minority of the most outspoken ignorant individuals regarding grandfather clocks marketing. Read on.

THIS IS PROVIDED WITH HUMILITY and a note of levity, and we feel only might apply to people whose ignorance, whether about grandfather clocks, or wall clocks, or marketing or the internet, lead them to say things and do things that are truly reprehensible by any standard measure of clocks decency.

About “stupid” people. No offense. While they constitute the last category of humanity deemed fair game for name-calling — nitwit, halfwit, dumbass, doofus, dullard, imbecile, simpleton, moron, cretin, boob, dope, nincompoop, dolt, etc. – their stupidity isn’t a moral failing or weakness of character. Their handicap is just an accident of birth. This is excerpted from an article in today’s Advertising Age on another subject entirely.

We love most all of our grandfather clocks colleagues. Every profession has its dregs. Clocks rule!

Is your grandfather clock running too fast or too slow?  If so, what should you do about it.  This is a question we get asked many times, and we are attempting to provide here a useful guide for most owners of clocks.

Before deciding whether to raise or lower what is known as the pendulum bob – the usually brass round  weight near the bottom of the pendulum – it might first worth be asking whether the grandfather clock had been running fine for many years.  If so, and it has, say, after 5 or 10 plus years after purchasing it, a slow-running clock may be a symptom of a clock that needs a good cleaning and oiling.  If so, find a good local grandfather clocks repair center.

But what if your grandfather clock is new, or you’ve recently moved it, and it needs adjustment?  If your grandfather clock is RUNNING TOO SLOW, one should RAISE the pendulum bob to make the clock’s movement run faster.  If the clock is RUNNING TOO FAST, one should LOWER the pendulum bob to make the clock’s movement go slower.  One needs to have patience and be willing to experiment with how many turns of the screw beneath the pendulum will affect your clock.  Checking against a computer clock or other reliable timepiece once a day is a good idea, as is keeping notes of how many turns of the screw were made and the impact it had on the time.

Another key question is WHAT DIRECTION does one turn the screw beneath the pendulum to raise or lower the pendulum bob.  While it does not work the same for all clocks, the large majority of clocks made in the last 50 years will allow one to follow the direction of turning the screw clockwise or right to raise the pendulum bob and make the clock go faster.  Conversely, for most grandfather clock movements, if one turns the screw beneath the pendulum bob counter-clockwise or left to lower the pendulum make, it will make the clock go slower.

The best advice we can give is to try moving the pendulum bob a turn for every minute, for, say, up to a 10 minute daily variation vs. the correct time.  Recalibrate after seeing the results after 24 hours, and decide what to do the next day.

A final note.  We recommend not seeking the perfection of an atomic clock, but rather getting your clock to be accurate within, say, a minute or so per day.  After all, another way of looking at it is you can spend $25 for a very accurate quartz watch or many thousands of dollars for a Rolex, Audemars, or Vacheron Constantin.  One is buying more than accurate timekeeping when investing in a grandfather clock.

Howard Miller Newman Grandfather Clock Model 611-120 611120

When working at your Toshiba laptop, or using your Apple iPhone, one might legitimately wonder just why would I need a grandfather clock in my home to tell time.

The short answer, which has been true since the advent of the wristwatch in the early 1900s, is that grandfather clocks are a form of, depending upon one’s perspective, art, tradition, or high quality home furnishings.  For this reason, grandfather clocks, also known as Floor Clocks and tallcase clocks, are here to stay!

They will continue to complement the homes and offices of today and the future as works of art, a means of carrying on a company or family tradition, or as ways of furnishing homes and offices around the world.

New forms of grandfather clocks will no doubt continue to be introduced, utilizing the latest in technology, such as atomic time and light projection and solar energy.  Some interesting examples of the ways new thinking and new technologies can help new design to emerge is the reasonably recent introduction of the Howard Miller Oasis Waterfall Grandfather Clock.  Who would have ever imagined a grandfather clock with a built-in waterfall?

Another trend we are seeing is the introduction of “dirt-cheap” grandfather clocks, most all likely made in the Far East, which are likely to leave many grandfather clocks discount shoppers mightily disappointed with their purchases.  From those we have seen, not only is using the word “wood” many times a stretch, but assembly may be required, and the end result will be a featherweight clock with an at best mediocre movement.

Who was it who said “Caveat emptor, baby”?

1-800-4CLOCKS will in early 2008 be adding several lines of new wristwatches to its already existing assortment of timepieces, which currently include grandfather clocks, wall clocks, matel clocks, atomic clocks and many more by makers including Howard Miller Clocks, Hermle Clocks, Bulova Clocks and watches, Ridgeway, Kieninger, Movado and many more.

Antique grandfather clocks, as well as new ones by Howard Miller, Hermle, Ridgeway and others have been a staple of the offerings by 1-800-4CLOCKS.com.  On eBay, and on the web, the Company has also sold many antique clocks including grandfather, wall and mantle clocks.  Antique pocket watches have also been a consistent source of offerings, from the many American brands such as Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton to the European including Vacheron, Patek, Audemars, Movado and many others.  Repeaters have been one of many timepiece specialties, including clocks and watches.

Slowly but surely, new brands of wristwatches and pocket watches will be added to offerings.

Visit early and often to see the progress achieved over time.