Synthetic Clocks

Fabulous Mid-Century Swiza with 8-day movement and original 1960s alarm clock in a stunning combination of gilt brass and real lapis lazuli. This amazing piece was designed in Switze...

Article: Table clock Origin: Germany Producer: Diehl Electro, Germany Age: 1960s This original vintage table clock...

This is a 15 jewels Swiss round clock. It depicts an enamel round frontal panel painted with a colorful beautiful bouquet of flowers framed by gilded bronze Roman numerals dial. In t...

Vintage mantel clock resting within a gilded strut frame supphandsorting a circular dial surrounded by rope decoration. Silvered dial with o...

An unusual French Restauration period ormolu mantel clock. The elaborately pierced gilt bronze case in the form of a lyre, with an Apollo mask cresting, on a white marble stepped bas...

An iconic Original Ball Wall Clock designed in 1947 by George Nelson Associates and produced by the Howard Miller Clock Company in Zeeland, Michigan. This early example features a ra...

Interestingly, while nearly all of the designs that came out of George’s studio were attributed to him, many were actually designed by him and his team. Some were even designed solely by someone else working at the studio. Nelson famously recounted the story of how the Ball Clock came to life in an interview decades after it’s release: “It was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, Bucky Fuller came by, and here was Irving, and here was I, and Noguchi - who can’t keep his hands off anything - he saw we were working on clocks and started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed Isamu aside. He said, ‘This is a good way to do a clock’ and made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, pushing each other aside and making scribbles. At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll of paper, and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll, there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up.” Nevertheless, whoever it was that came up with George Nelson’s designs, it’s almost certain that they would never have come to fruition if it wasn’t for George’s vision and forward-thinking approach. Can you tell me more about his clocks? George’s clocks were one of his most impressive bodies of work. In total, he and his team designed over 130 clocks in just three decades. While it is widely accepted that Irving Harper was the lead designer for the Howard Miller Clock Company at George Nelson Associates, the collection arose after two insightful observations from George: one, that people no longer used the numbers to tell the time; and two, that since most people now used their wristwatch to tell the time, interior clocks were now free to become more decorative in nature. The clocks were designed and released in batches of 8 and were initially only given numbers for names. The Sunflower Clock was simply ‘Clock 2261’, the Flock of Butterflies Clock was 'Clock 2226’, and so on. The Ball was the first clock designed by George and his team and it was followed shortly after by the Star, Sunburst, Spindle, Asterisk, Turbine, Flock of Butterflies, Eye and others. The clocks were purposefully abstract and were designed to complement the modernist furniture emerging at the time. As well as wall clocks, George’s studio also produced a series of desk clocks during that time, most notably the bubble-shaped Night Desk...

The vintage starburst wall clock features radii of brass rods, radiating outwards from the round central face and ending with alternating walnut tips and brass rings. It's equipped ...

Original condition, perfect working Softwood covered with nutveneer attributed to Kienze

Stately, two-handed, Swiss 15 jewel, 8 day winding desk clock manufactured by Imhof for Saks Fifth Avenue- early 1960s. Polished brass, splayed cir...

A wall clock made of leather and brass manufactured in midcentury, circa 1960. The clock hangs with golden toned cords on a brass knob. A removable key is used for winding the move...

Egyptian revival mantel clock & garniture set, early 20th century. Circular white sunken dial with black Arabic numerals and brass sunburst with two train movement set in a polished black slate and stepped rouge marble case...