Time will tell... do you have a signature clock in your home or office? Clocks as statement pieces seem to have waned in the public taste. And yet, someone’s choice of clock can reveal much about their inner life.
On page 7 of our 1957 gift catalogue reposes a collection of nine clocks with, shall we say, strong personalities. In their manifold heterogeneity, they are also a litmus test, a Rorschach inkblot, a tantalizing marshmallow that will turn into two if you have patience... or will it? Look them over and then look inside yourself. These clocks, as the young people say, know what time it is.
60 Suspense
“Time suspended in space! Hands and Plexiglas disc ‘float’ free of dial, rotated by brass bead chain”
You’ve never found the upper limit of how long you can watch that desk ornament where the little metal balls swing back and forth.
61 Vista Clock
“Walnut case frames tile panels decorated with colorful seascapes.”
You miss the days when paper towels were printed with fruit motifs and scenes of rural life.
62 Satellite Clock
“Revolves in its orbit to show time in major cities in the world. Also a barometer and thermometer”
Your fondest wish is to be a Renaissance-era ship captain, navigating the high seas with an extensive array of astrolabes and sextants.
63 Double Take Clock
“Tells time front and back”
Your favorite humorous t-shirts are those that start a joke on the front and pay it off on the back.
64 Automatic Calendar Clock
“Calendar will correct at end of month allowing for 28, 30, 31 day months”
You have employed ChatGPT to write at least one wedding speech.
65 Candle Alarm Clock
“Enchanting bedside clock in gilt finish metal”
You have a favorite ghost from A Christmas Carol. And it’s probably Jacob Marley.
66 Modern Desk Clock
“Chrome with black dial”
You know Don Draper is supposed to be a tragic cautionary example in Mad Men and not the coolest guy in the world, but you don’t quite feel it. (Ahem. The author of this piece may fall into this category.)
67 Lantern Wall Clock
“Silver ornamented face, brass numerals”
You have purchased multi-day tickets to visit Colonial Williamsburg, and at least considered going in costume.
68 Piccolissimo Clock
“Little charmer for boudoir”
You say “boudoir”.
I accept your judgement that I would enjoy fussing with arcane machinery on a ship - my ship.
And no, the only upper limit I had on watching a Newton's Cradle was inertia itself.