Pendulum Clocks

Contrary to popular belief, pendulum clocks do not have to be oversized grand affairs like grandfather clocks. In fact, some of the most popular styles on the modern market are in fact much smaller wall mounted designs, which blend well into a vibrant space and can be used as focal design accessory to add life and visual interest to a room.

The value of the pendulum

The whole idea of a pendulum clock is that it relies on the swinging weight as a primary part of its timekeeping capabilities. While many buyers worry about a pendulum swinging at odd intervals, the mechanism inside the design is in fact designed to ensure that the weight moves perfectly in time with the set intervals – providing an accurate depiction of time passing. In fact, up until the 1930’s the pendulum clock was considered to be the most accurate clock in terms of keeping time due to its very mathematical approach to the correlation between design and accuracy. It is important for buyers to note that pendulum clocks need to be stationary in order to work effectively, and so should not be transported or attached to any surface which is set to move – for example a sliding partition or door.

The evolution of the pendulum clock

Once upon a time, pendulum clocks were symbols of great status and wealth, with only the richest of homeowners able to keep one in their own home. Over time the concept of a pendulum clock has evolved to result in a wide variety of stylistic designs and ideas, from the largest of grandfather clocks to much smaller wall mounted cuckoo clocks and lantern clocks. In short, as time has gone on and buyer preferences have changed, so too have the designs of the pendulum clock – now making them a much more widely recognised decorative accessory which can be chosen to reflect and celebrate the surrounding décor in any given room.

Choosing the best pendulum clock for your home

Choosing the right pendulum clock is a matter of understanding your home and its style, and deciding where a pendulum clock would be best placed for optimum use and the best aesthetic value. For a large or traditionally styled home, our preference would always be to capitalise on the space you have available with a large structure – namely a grandfather clock where the pendulum itself becomes an integral part of the décor. For a more modern home, slighter designs can work really well when mounted on the wall, particularly if the wall is neutral in colour and minimally decorated. One thing to note, especially in a modern home, is that rooms can often look quite flat without the addition of different levels and textures, and so a pendulum clock can really elevate the appearance of the room by providing different viewpoints and a variety of materials. And then we have the more modern designs themselves, which take the concept of an old pendulum clock but place it in an exterior design which matches the simplicity of a modern home. These modern designs immediately take away the grandeur of the antique pendulum clocks, replacing the ornately decorated wood with basic straight lines and minimal clock faces – with the biggest shift being the replacement of the natural wood with neutral surfaces. Pendulum clocks are still a popular concept for many homeowners, with retailers of all sorts stocking their own ranges – spanning from the old fashioned traditional style pendulum clocks, through to the much more modern and neutral designs. Head to homeware stores, clock specialists and designer home accessory retailers for the best selection of pendulum clocks.