Idealforms Clocks

Imhof mid-century table clock Enamel painted dial (represents a galleon) Manual winding (8 days of winding) 15 jewels Works properly Case number 12329 Circa 1960 Origin Switzerland M...

Interestingly, while nearly all of the designs that came out of George’s studio were attributed to him, many were actually designed by him and his team. Some were even designed solely by someone else working at the studio. Nelson famously recounted the story of how the Ball Clock came to life in an interview decades after it’s release: “It was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, Bucky Fuller came by, and here was Irving, and here was I, and Noguchi - who can’t keep his hands off anything - he saw we were working on clocks and started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed Isamu aside. He said, ‘This is a good way to do a clock’ and made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, pushing each other aside and making scribbles. At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll of paper, and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll, there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up.” Nevertheless, whoever it was that came up with George Nelson’s designs, it’s almost certain that they would never have come to fruition if it wasn’t for George’s vision and forward-thinking approach. Can you tell me more about his clocks? George’s clocks were one of his most impressive bodies of work. In total, he and his team designed over 130 clocks in just three decades. While it is widely accepted that Irving Harper was the lead designer for the Howard Miller Clock Company at George Nelson Associates, the collection arose after two insightful observations from George: one, that people no longer used the numbers to tell the time; and two, that since most people now used their wristwatch to tell the time, interior clocks were now free to become more decorative in nature. The clocks were designed and released in batches of 8 and were initially only given numbers for names. The Sunflower Clock was simply ‘Clock 2261’, the Flock of Butterflies Clock was 'Clock 2226’, and so on. The Ball was the first clock designed by George and his team and it was followed shortly after by the Star, Sunburst, Spindle, Asterisk, Turbine, Flock of Butterflies, Eye and others. The clocks were purposefully abstract and were designed to complement the modernist furniture emerging at the time. As well as wall clocks, George’s studio also produced a series of desk clocks during that time, most notably the bubble-shaped Night Desk...

Wooden clock face and brass clock hands and index. Fitted with a battery movement. Made in Germany in the 1950s.

Extremely fine, made in America, Germany or France, this "Father Time" electric wall clock is a masterpiece of wood and brass inlay. Using a series of hard...

One of a kind artist made petite round wooden wall clock Circa 1980s Mixed woods design beautifully turned with contrasting inlaid markers and finished with unique sculpted hands ...

Vintage Howard Miller World Time Mid Century Modern Walnut Frame Wall Clock in Working Condition. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 19" H x 25.5" W x 4" D.

Superb quality antique Victorian marble mantle clock having a black marble case with quality bronze figures columns and a plaque circular brass bezel ornate dial with Roman numerals,...

The “Measured Time” clocks have appeared previously on the market without attribution, identified only by the clockface “Hawkeye” label or the Stev...

Beautiful Diamond Clock designed by George Nelson & Associates, and manufactured by Vitra. In excellent working condition, working on an AA battery. The George Nelson Diamond Clock ...

This mid-century German table clock, created by Kienzle in Germany in the 1950s, is a vintage masterpiece. A rare design. Featuring a luxurious combination of brass and bevelled glas...

This Chess Clock Timer was produced in the 1950's by Cronotechna in Šternberk, Czechoslovakia. The housing is made Bakelite and is in very good condition. The clock has been tested ...

Kienzle automatic world timer zone clock. An exclusive big table clock from Ø 26 cm wonderful clocks face with world map and world time zones, glass, the heavy case & base are of sol...