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How loud is the ticking sound of the grandfather clock?  Do you have any clocks that make less of a sound?  Do any of your grandfather clocks tick louder?  What about your new and antique wall clocks?  Will the ticking be so loud that I or my spouse or my family or my guests will not be able to sleep?  What about the sound of the chimes?  Can they be shut off?  What about an automatic nighttime shutoff feature I’ve heard that certain clocks have.  Does this mantel clock have that auto night shutoff?  What about your antique mantel clocks?

Do you have any alarm clocks that are really really loud?  Do you have any tabletop clocks or desktop or carriage clocks that don’t make any ticking sound?  I need a REALLY loud alarm clock to wake up.  How loud is your loudest?

From ticking to chiming to alarm clocks, the vibrancy or loudness of the tick tock or tic tok or toc sound is important to many clock shoppers, whether they are looking at Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks or the Hermle Grandfather Clock Collection — or Ridgeway Clocks, Americana Clocks or Kieninger Clocks, the questions of chiming quality, volume and ability to change, tick tock tick tock volume and the ability to lower or sometimes raise, and the frequent question of whether there is such a thing as a silent wall clock, mantel clock or grandfather clock movement, or on occasion, is there a  way to make the tick tock louder, even much more loud.

LED Clocks, including are soon-to-be-introduced GiganticClocks, make no sound, and with some of them having numerals which are 3 inches and larger, as well as alarms and calendar functions for day of week and the date, these clocks are sure to meet an unmet need, both in more public areas where the large and glare-free numerals can be seen 24×7, and also by anyone with a vision issue or any stage of their lives where memory would be aided by having these other easy-to-read (compared to other clocks on the market) displays.  We also have one LCD Clock which not only has the same super-large numerals and other informational fields (e.g. calendar day of week and date of month, temperature and more), but is also an atomic clock, also known as a radio controlled clock, which is incredibly accurate, theoretically according the the USA Government Agency NIST and many scientific experts, accurate to one-Billionth of a second per year!  While not the case for our large easy-to-see black-on-white LED Atomic wall and mantel clock, which uses batteries, the LED Clocks require an electricity source, with an outlet either immediately behind it, or to be wired and plugged in to a standard electrical outlet, either covered by tubing or simply out in the open.

When one thinks of modern day quartz watches vs the still highly desired and significantly more expensive watch brands like Breitling, Omega, Rolex, Movado, Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piaget, Vacheron Contantin and on and on, there is still no shortage of admirers for the “old-fashioned” craftsmanship where people are willing to pay thousands of dollars more, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars more, when a watch that will keep time as or more accurately can be had easily for under $100. Additionally people can now see the time on their computer, or iPhone 5 or Samsung 4 or other smartphone, and more and more may still be adding iWatches or SmartWatches that are or are rumored to soon be hitting the market, and no doubt increasing in capabilities and quality over time.  It is somewhat reminiscent of the old Dick Tracy cartoon character and his then futuristic watch which allowed him to communicate.

Dick Tracy’s 2-way communicator wristwatch would probably not make it to market given the capabilities that appear to already be out there and coming very soon.  Maxwell Smart’s shoe-phone, on the other hand, may still have a chance at gaining some market share if it were to be introduced today.  Call it maybe.

Following what we will term the wristwatch paradigm, we see a long-term and continuing demand for mechanical grandmother clocks, grandfather clocks, mantel clocks, cuckoo clocks, and regular and large wall clocks and gallery clocks.  Brands that continue to offer both dynamic contemporary clock designs as well as more traditional designs for these kinds of clocks true to the traditional ways of making timepieces will still find a market for people who are seeking to keep an element of the traditional as a part of their home and workplaces.

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

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.

Title: Solid 18K Gold Omega Speedmaster Chronograph Moonphase
Subtitle: Possibly the nicest wristwatch ever made, and scarce

On sale at eBay at this link:   http://www.ebay.com/itm/18K-Gold-Omega-Speedmaster-Chronograph-Moonphase-/230924339955?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item35c429caf3  – Read eBay Description for completely accurate description.

All good things must come to an end, and in this case it creates an opportunity for a new owner for this amazing wristwatch. As someone who has owned and worn Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Rolex Watches and numerous other of the highest-end watches, this particular solid 18K Gold Omega Speedmaster with an 18K Gold and SS Bracelet, Automatic, in near-mint condition, has always been my personal favorite of all the wristwatches I have owned. As I am downsizing my timepiece collection, it feels like the time has come for someone who can make more use of it than I to enjoy it fully.

Omega’s best and most sophisticated, complicated Chronometer. Near new condition. Swiss made. Automatic mechanical movement. Waterproof (but would not recommend pushing one’s luck as watch does have some age to it). 18K solid gold case and 18K & SS buckle. Sapphire crystal. 8 hands + moondial. Day, Date, Month mechanical readout. Stopwatch function among others. Raised 18K Roman numerals. Tachometer function. 6 Scales. Marked Maison Fondee en 1848 with gold hallmarks and serial # on back of case.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER CHRONO, somewhere between Scarce and Rare, SOLID 18K YELLOW GOLD CASE, and BRACELET WITH 18K GOLD & STAINLESS STEEL, TRIPLE DATE, MOONPHASE CHRONOGRAPH WITH FIXED TACHYMETER BEZEL. WATCH WAS MANUFACTURED IN 1991-1994, WATCH IS IN NEAR-PERFECT CONDITION. ALL FUNCTIONS WORK ACCURATELY, THIS OMEGA MASTERPIECE IS ALL ORIGINAL. THE CHRONOGRAPH STOP TIME ACCURACY IS TO THE 1/5 OF A SECOND. WATCH HAS A QUICK SET AND A HACK 45 HOUR AUTONOMY VALJOUX MOVEMENT CAL. 1150 THE MOVEMENT IS A TWO BUTTON THREE REGISTER CHRONOGRAPH. THE DAY AND MONTH ARE ON THE 12 O’CLOCK POSITION INTEGRAL TO THE CRHONOGRAPH’S 30 MINUTE REGISTER. THE DAY NUMBER OF THE MONTH IS SHOWN BY THE LONG SLENDER CENTER HAND THAT HAS A SMALL CRESCSENT MOON PROFILE AT ITS END. MOONPHASE IS SHOWN AT THE 6 O’CLOCK DIAL POSITION LOCATED INTEGRAL TO THE CHRONOGRAPH’S 12 HOUR REGISTER. RUNNING SECONDS AND THE CHRONOGRAPH’S 24 HOUR REGISTER ARE LOCATED AT THE DIALS 9 O’CLOCK POSITION. THE DIMENSIONS ARE 1.46 DIAMETER OF THE TACHYMETRE BEZEL, 1.70″ FROM LUG TO LUG, 1.61″ CASE TO TIP OF CROWN, THIS IS A HIGHLY COLLECTABLE SCARCE-RARE PIECE. ALL OUR WATCHES ARE 100% AUTHENTIC. SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY.

18K SOLID GOLD Omega Speedmaster Chronograph Moonphase Wristwatch – DIAL

18K SOLID GOLD Omega Speedmaster Chronograph Moonphase Wristwatch - showing solid gold back and 18K/SS Bracelet with Omega Clasp

Amazing Movement inside this  18K SOLID GOLD Omega Speedmaster Chronograph Moonphase Wristwatch

This watch will be shipped with one extra SS link/piece in the band, to accommodate larger wrists (about 7 inches comfortably), and as shown in the pictures of this actual watch. That and other links can easily be removed by any qualified watch repair person to be sized to your wrist or the wrist of the recipient.

This wristwatch is guaranteed 100% genuine and as described. Original box and papers are unfortunately no longer with this watch.  Some adjustments may possibly be necessary after shipping. Given the risk of counterfeits and parts being lifted, this watch is being sold as guaranteed and “as is” with no returns. Please see our feedback, and our A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, to increase your level of comfort.

On payment, Buyer and Seller must both agree and feel comfortable with any transaction payment approach (and by bidding you agree to the transaction being canceled if this standard is not mutually met). If you do not have a lot of positive feedback (e.g. 100+), payment may be required to be made by wire transfer. Having said that, the auction is open to customers worldwide. Serious bidders only please, and if any doubt or questions about anything, including payment, please email to address before making any bid or purchase.

OMEGA is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and symbolizes accomplishment and perfection – qualities that have been inherent in every OMEGA watch since the company’s foundation in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848.  The brand’s reputation for innovation and quality has led to numerous awards over the company’s 150-year history, starting as early as 1900 with the Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair and continuing with the world precision record of 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington observatory in England in 1936.

OMEGA went on to be official timekeeper at no less than 21 Olympic Games, bringing numerous innovations to Olympic sports over the years, such as the first electronic timekeeping at the Helsinki games in 1952 – the same year in which the company was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit for its outstanding contribution to sport.

On account of its precision and reliability, OMEGA’s Speedmaster watch was chosen by NASA as its official chronometer in 1965 and 4 years later was the first watch to be worn on the moon, when, on 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind.

In more recent years, OMEGA has continued to build on its reputation for precision and innovation, presenting the world’s first self-winding wristwatch with central tourbillon (launched in 1994) and the revolutionary coaxial escapement sur developed in conjunction with renowned English master watchmaker George Daniels first offered in limited series in 1999. With this illustrious watchmaking tradition behind it, OMEGA has an ideal foundation for further pioneering achievements in the new millennium.

Some of my favorite Omega quotes:

1. “Saying that an Omega is the most trustworthy watch on earth is something of an understatement”…”The watch the astronauts have worn on every space trip since 1965 is a standard production line Omega Speedmaster..”

2. “There are moments when wearing an Omega is highly reassuring. When you are taking a walk on the Moon you need to be sure you’ve the best equipment on (and from) Earth”

3. “Only Omega could create a timepiece precise enough to time Concorde. And offer it to you as a watch”

4. “An Omega does more for you than tell you the time”

5. “When gold must do more than glitter”… picture of an Omega in “18K gold”

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