The wall clock has been around for hundreds of years, providing people with an accurate way to tell time. The wall clock began as a pendulum clock in the mid-1600s. These early wall clocks were much more accurate than the lantern clocks used before. The owners of these early clocks named them the wags-on-the-wall after the wagging motion of the pendulums. The early pendulums were quite long, requiring the clocks to be mounted up high to avoid hitting the floor. The long pendulums eventually became set into a case set onto the floor, which was the earliest version of the grandfather clock.
As clocks began to become more common, classes other than the wealthy were able to afford them. The parts of the day that were once divided only with a sundial or by looking up at the position of the sun were now known with accuracy. They continued to become more accurate over the years, changing from the early wooden mechanisms to brass. The brass kept these clocks out of the hands of the average person because of their cost, but the mechanisms were eventually replaced by less expensive parts.
Clock making began with blacksmiths and other tradesmen who were able to work with metal. But clockmakers soon began to make clocks with more precision, working on their clocks like a work of art. Early clockmakers like Seth Thomas created more and more stylized versions of the wall clock. These newer, smaller versions were works of art in and of themselves. Very few clockmakers withstand the test of time, but Seth Thomas is still making clocks after almost 200 years. The modern wall clocks, such as the Seth Thomas models, are now often round in shape, but they come in many other shapes as well. Some wall clocks are designed to look much like their earlier versions, with pendulums hanging down the wall.
Today, wall clocks aren’t just for telling the time. We already have clocks everywhere- in our cars, on our appliances and on our shelves. Wall clocks aren’t the only way to tell time anymore, but still we keep them in our homes and businesses. They are kept a part of the average home because they are beautiful and classic items of décor, as well as being a useful timepiece. They are often made of plastic now, but fine makers of classic wall clocks, such as Seth Thomas, still exist.