Everything You Need to Know about Floor Clocks

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 pm

grandather floor clocks The term floor clocks are popularly known as grandfather clocks. These are clocks with a pendulum inside the tower or in the waist of the case. The height of this clock ranges from six to eight feet with the case elaborately ornamented with carved features on the hood or on the frames of the clock. These clocks are also known to be striking clocks because for a few seconds of each hour, they sound the time. The number of strikes signifies the right time.

The Origin of Floor Clocks

Floor clocks are first developed by William Clement in 1670, with the help of the anchor escape mechanism. This mechanism helped reduce the swing of the long pendulum so that it can be fitted exactly in a case. These floor clocks are more advantageous than the earlier pendulum clocks because:

They need less power to keep them working
They can cause less friction and wear during their movement
They are more accurate in telling the time
There are two types of movement in floor clocks. These are the eight-day movement and the one-day movement.
The clock with an eight-day movement is less expensive because they only require winding at least once a week. They are also driven by two weights – the one that drives the pendulum and another with bells and chimes for the striking mechanism.
A 30-hour clock is only wound once a day, and it only has one weight to drive both the timekeeping mechanism and the striking mechanism.

The Variation of Floor Clocks

There are only two types of floor clocks. These are the Comtoise Clock and the Bornholm Clock.

The Comtoise Clock is also known as the Morbier or the Morez clock. They are first produced in the Franche-Comte region in 1680. Its distinguishing features are the curving or potbellied case, the use of curved lines, and the heavy and extensive pendulum that is highly ornamented. These clocks are usually found in France and in many European Countries.
Bornholm clocks have a pendulum made in Bornholm from 1745 to 1900. These are Danish longcase clocks in the form of tall wooden boxes. Today, the demand for its production is constantly falling.

Origin of the Name of the Grandfather Clock

As earlier said, the term floor clocks is also linked to the term grandfather clock. It was derived from a song that Henry Clay Work made in 1875. The song titled My Grandfather’s Clock is about the story of the clock that broke down because of the death of the manger of George Hotel in England. According to the story, one of the Jenkins brothers, the manager of the hotel, died and since then the clock began to lose time. All attempts to fix the clock failed. The clock broke down eventually when the other brother died. Since then, it was never repaired in remembrance of the brothers. The song became so popular that people began to associate term grandfather clocks with longcase clocks.

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