Fine Time

If you want to know the time, check your watch, cell phone or microwave. If you want to make a timeless statement in your home, check out a fine floor, wall or mantel clock. “To somebody buying a grandfather clock, timekeeping is really secondary,” says Bob Engels, a marketing manager for Sligh Furniture and Clock Co. of Holland, Mich. “What they are buying is the mystique of the clock.”

To Engels, a wall, mantel or grandfather clock (also known as a floor clock) that needs to be wound weekly and that sounds out the hours is something special, even if doesn’t keep time as precisely as a Timex:

“It’s an animate object. A clock will speak to you through the motion of the pendulum and the sound of the chimes. It creates a feeling of tranquility. That’s why they become prized possessions. They’re almost like a member of the family.”

Beverly Markoff, an interior designer who operates Beverly Markoff Interiors based in Carmel, Ind., says it has become easier than ever to find a clock to complement any style, from French country to sleekly contemporary to classic models in highly polished hardwoods.

“If you like traditional looks, there are styles in mahoganies and cherries. For contemporary, there are darker walnut tones, black lacquer and silver leaf,” she says. “Transitional styles would blend a little bit of both contemporary and traditional, with clean lines.”

Designer Kristine Bastian loves clocks’ versatility and universal appeal. She used 55 clocks of all kinds and sizes in a model Indianapolis home that came to be known as “the clock house.”

“To me, it’s about completing the home,” says Bastian, whose personal collection includes antique clocks and a custom-designed one made with exotic woods.

“You can build a whole room around a clock, or you can put it on a mantel or a side table,” says Bastian. “There are shapes that are so fun.”

Bastian says wall clocks can take the place of artwork. She especially loves the effect of an oversized round wall clock.

“It helps break up the lines in a house. It softens the room quite a bit, and makes it a little bit more interesting,” she says.

Clock dealer Andy Brogden says wall, mantel and floor clocks are luxuries, not necessities.

Battery-operated models also chime the hours and don’t need winding, but Brogden says clocks with weight and spring-powered mechanical movements can be treasured for generations.

“To get a quality piece that will last for generations, what else can you get for under $2,000? You could spend that much on a couch that lasts a few years,” Brogden says.

Sales peak in the cold months, says Brogden, and clocks often are purchased as Christmas gifts or for special occasions such as Mother’s Day or wedding anniversaries.

Mark Siciliano, a marketing director for the leading U.S. clock company, Howard Miller of Zeeland, Mich., hopes that changes.

His company is working to convince consumers that a fine clock works at any time of the year, at any point in the life cycle and with any decorating style.

He even avoids the term “grandfather clock,” preferring “floor clock.”

“You hear the words ‘grandfather clock’ and you have a perception — maybe of an antique or something owned by an older aunt or uncle or grandparent,” he says. “You might think, ‘When I retire, I might have one.’ “