George Nelson Clocks

Architect, designer, and writer George Nelson was a central figure in the mid-century American modernist design movement; and his thoughts influenced not only the furniture we live with, but also how we live.
Nelson came to design via journalism and literature. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Yale in 1931, he won the Prix de Rome fellowship, and spent his time in Europe writing magazine articles that helped bring stateside recognition to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Gio Ponti, Le Corbusier and other canonical modernist architects. In the 1940s, Nelson wrote texts that suggested such now-commonplace ideas as open-plan houses, storage walls and family rooms. D.J. De Pree, the owner of the furniture maker Herman Miller, was so impressed by Nelson that in 1944 — following the sudden death of Gilbert Rohde, who had introduced the firm to modern design in the 1930s — he invited Nelson to join the company as its design director.
There Nelson’s curatorial design talents came to the fore. To Herman Miller he brought such eminent creators as Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, and the textile and furniture designer Alexander Girard. Thanks to a clever contract, at the same time as he directed Herman Miller he formed a New York design company, George Nelson & Associates, that sold furniture designs to the Michigan firm, as well as its competitor, the Howard Miller Clock Company. Nelson’s New York team of designers (who were rarely individually credited) would create such iconic pieces as the Marshmallow sofa, the Coconut chair, the Ball clock, the Bubble lamp series and the many cabinets and beds that comprise the sleek Thin-Edge line.
For dedicated collectors, as well as for interior designers who look beyond “the look,” there is a “cool-factor” inherent to vintage pieces from George Nelson and others. Nelson was in on it from the start, and it’s valuable to have a piece that was there with him. But still, as is evident from the offerings from dealers on these pages, in any of the designs, in any iteration whose manufacture Nelson oversaw and encouraged, there are shining elements of lightness, elegance, sophistication — and a little bit of swagger. George Nelson felt confident in his ideas about design and didn’t mind letting the world know.
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Steel, Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal, Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Steel
Early 2000s North American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Steel
1970s American Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal, Brass
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Rosewood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Porcelain, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Aluminum, Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Aluminum
1930s Swiss Art Deco Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Steel
1930s American Art Deco Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1930s American Art Deco Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Ceramic, Grasscloth, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Stainless Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Plywood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Ceramic, Pottery
1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass, Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Aluminum, Steel
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Metal, Brass
Early 2000s German Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Brass
1940s American Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern George Nelson Clocks
Brass, Chrome
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Metal, Aluminum, Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Rattan
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage George Nelson Clocks
Brass
George Nelson clocks for sale on 1stDibs
Creators Similar to George Nelson
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Modern George Nelson clocks are made in Poland. The company Vitra Designs manufactures the timepieces based on the original designs of the American designer who lived from 1908 to 1986. On 1stDibs, you can shop a selection of George Nelson clocks.