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Clocks For Sale
Creator: George Nelson
Creator: Arthur Umanoff
Vintage George Nelson / Howard Miller Multi-color Spike / Starburst Clock
Located in Buffalo, NY
Iconic Vintage George Nelson / Howard Miller Multi-color Spike / Starburst Electric Wall Clock,, Amazing colors,, wonderful patina,, retains original Howard Miller label,, Tested and...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal

Mid Century Modern Arthur Umanoff Rosewood Square Desk Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Troy, MI
Arthur Umanoff model 645 alarm clock for Howard Miller circa late 1960s Rosewood case with aluminum dial on a black background Plug in electric movement with black hour and minute ha...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

George Nelson for Howard Miller Clock #4766
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A nice vintage mid century modern George Nelson for Howard Miller 4766 Clock in working condition. The clock has an alarm function that is working as well. The clock bears a Treadway...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal, Brass

1950's Rare George Nelson for Howard Miller Chronopak 4765 Clock
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A wonderful example of a mid century design by George Nelson for the Howard Miller clock company, this Chronopak Model 4765A clock is in beautiful condition and running well and keep...
Category

1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal

Irving Harper for George Nelson Howard Miller Clock
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Irving Harper for George Nelson Associates wall clock. Produced by Howard Miller, with original tags. Runs well and retains the original hands a...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Plastic

George Nelson Mid Century Ball Clock in Brass and Wood
Located in Weesp, NL
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...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Starburst Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Iconic design by George Nelson
Category

1950s American Vintage Clocks

Materials

Hardwood

George Nelson Basket Clock, model 2215
Located in New York, NY
Round basket clock, model #2215, designed by George Nelson and produced by Howard Miller, 1950’s. Rattan, enameled steel, metal. With Howard Miller decal on face, and sticker and emb...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal, Steel

Howard Miller Desk Clock by Design Office of George Nelson
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Arthur Umanoff for The Design Office of George Nelson for Howard Miller Rosewood Desk or Table Clock. In great shape and running flawlessly! Been in use for about 6 months on my de...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Chrome

Early Production Iconic Ball Clock Designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller
Located in San Diego, CA
A very hard to find and early iconic ball clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller, circa 1950s. The clock is in original vintage condition with an 8 feet long plug in elec...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Metal, Brass

Rare Mosaic Tile Wall Clock in Walnut by George Nelson & Assoc circa 1950s
Located in Troy, MI
Rare George Nelson And Associates Mosaic Tile Wall Clock Designed by Irving Harper for George Nelson and Associates and produced by Howard Miller Model 2232 1957 Walnut frame with...
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Walnut, Glass

Checkerboard Table Clock, "Tempo 21" Tower 2 by George Nelson, 1984
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare postmodern cream, brown, and navy checkerboard table clock by Howard Miller Clock Company. From the 1984 "Tempo 21" collection. Very few signs...
Category

1980s North American Post-Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

George Nelson for Howard Miller Midcentury Lucite Grandfather Clock
Located in Countryside, IL
George Nelson for Howard Miller Mid Century lucite Grandfather Clock This clock measures: 13 wide x 9 deep x 55.25 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studi...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal

1970s Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller wall clock
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller 1970s wall clock, model #588. Made of a walnut case, original red back, brushed aluminum clock face, brass Roman nu...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

George Nelson Midcentury Burlwood and Rosewood Grandfather Clock
Located in Countryside, IL
George Nelson Mid Century Burlwood and Rosewood Grandfather Clock This clock measures: 16.5 wide x 9 deep x 72.5 inches high We take ou...
Category

1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Rosewood, Burl

Mid-Century Modern Kite Wall Clock by George Nelson, Howard Miller, Vitra Label
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern kite wall clock by George Nelson, Howard Miller, Vitra Label George Nelson (American, 1908-1986) Group of Table and Wall Clocks for Howard Miller, Vitra Design Museum, Poland/Germany, designed 1949-1954 Vitra Design Museum labels, With battery-operated mechanisms The Kite clock...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Midcentury Walnut Arthur Umanoff Meridian Pendulum Wall Clock for Howard Miller
Located in San Jose, CA
Vintage Meridian wall clock designed by Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller in walnut, circa 1970s. This piece features a coffin shaped wood case and an inset orange backdrop accented with a brass...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum, Brass

George Nelson Midcentury Burlwood and Rosewood Grandfather Clock
Located in Countryside, IL
George Nelson midcentury Burlwood and Rosewood Grandfather Clock This clock measures: 16.5 wide x 9 deep x 72.5 inches high We take our...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Rosewood, Burl

Postmodern Howard Miller George Nelson 1984 Metro Table Clock "Tempo 21"
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare table clock by Howard Miller Clock Company. From the 1984 "Tempo 21" collection. Navy pyramid base with a cream wavy stem that holds the red and green clock...
Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

George Nelson Studio Steering Wheel Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An original George Nelson Studio steering wheel clock Original surface, hour markers and second hand Howard Miller Decal present,see detail phot...
Category

1950s American Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Howard Miller George Nelson 1984 Olympus Table Clock "Tempo 21"
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare "Olympus" table clock by Howard Miller Clock Company. From the 1984 "Tempo 21" collection. The circular red clock face is upheld by a green pyramid base...
Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

Howard Miller George Nelson 1984 Checkerboard Table Clock, "Tempo 21" Tower 3
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare postmodern brown and cream checkerboard table clock by Howard Miller Clock Company. From the 1984 "Tempo 21" collection. Slight signs of wear ...
Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

George Nelson Brass Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
George Nelson for Howard Miller brass clock. A round brass clock on a tri-legged brass pedestal with a thick plexiglass face. The clock has b...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal, Brass

Fritz Hansen & George Nelson Stool Seat Wall Clock
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage 1950s George Nelson ball clock for George Nelson and Associates and Howard Miller. This clock was designed with Irving Harper in 1949, and was the first among several iconic clock...
Category

20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Brass

Mantel Grandfather Clock by Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a solid oak circa 1975 Howard Miller mechanical pendulum wall clock. It is a model 612, has an 8-day winder and keeps excellent time. The case is a beautiful, heavy gleaming ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Birch & Brass Wall Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
George Nelson Birch & Brass wall clock for Howard Miller.
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Model-4758 Wall Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
George Nelson Model-4758 wall clock for Howard Miller.
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Metal

Arthur Umanoff Desk Clock, George Nelson & Associates, 1950s
Located in Houston, TX
George Nelson & Associates table clock. Howard Miller Clock Company, USA. Rosewood, steel. Measures: 4.25 W x 3 D x 5.5 H inches. Signed with decal manufacturer's label t...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Steel

George Nelson Meridian Wall Clock Rimini Blue Face by Aldo Londi for Bitossi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“Meridian” clock designed by George Nelson for the Howard Miller Clock Company. Face is made of “Rimini Blue” Italian ceramic designed by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, battery operated.
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Ceramic

George Nelson Tripod Table Clock
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Scarce large tripod table clock, Model 4764, designed by George Nelson and Associates for Howard Miller Clock Company. Satin brass dial encased in plexiglass bubble, with signature b...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Chess Piece Clock
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare model #2251 chess piece table clock designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller Clock Company. Turned walnut base supports w...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Brass

George Nelson Prototype Domino Clock
Located in Chicago, IL
Nelson office, designed by Irving Harper for Howard Miller. This is the only clock and was never produced. Purchased from Howard Miller Executive.  
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Wood

George Nelson Mini Grandfather Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful half-height tabletop grandfather clock in rosewood. Designed by George Nelson for Howard Miller clock company. Wind-up ...
Category

1950s American Vintage Clocks

Materials

Rosewood

Mid Century Modernist Arthur Umanoff Howard Miller Rosewood Cylinder Flip Clock
Located in Troy, MI
Rare Arthur Umanoff model 4620 desk clock for Howard Miller circa 1960s Rosewood and acrylic cylinder case with exposed movement and flip numbers Original label intact Please note m...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Clocks

Materials

Acrylic, Rosewood

George Nelson #4756 Electric Walnut Wall Clock for Howard Miller
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A round walnut electric wall clock with printed face having white numbers and a bold sun or flower styled orange and yellow design back round . White metal sculptural hands and red s...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Metal

Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller Eight Day Wall Clock with Chimes
Located in Ferndale, MI
Modernist take on a kind of deconstructed grandfather clock look. Lucite case allows internal works to be part of the design. Eight day weights, chains and pendulum in chrome. Clock ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clocks

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Vintage and Antique Clocks for Sale: Find Unique Wall Clocks, Decorative Table Clocks and Grandfather Clocks on 1stDibs

A sophisticated clock design, whether it’s a desk clock, mantel clock or large wall clock for your living room, is a decorative object to be admired in your home as much as it is a necessary functional element. This is part of the reason clocks make such superb collectibles. Given the versatility of these treasured fixtures — they’ve long been made in a range of shapes, sizes and styles — a clock can prove integral to your own particular interior decor.

Antique and vintage clocks can whisk us back to the 18th and 19th centuries. When most people think of antique clocks, they imagine an Art Deco Bakelite tabletop clock or wall clock, named for the revolutionary synthetic plastic, Bakelite, of which they’re made, or a stately antique grandfather clock. But the art of clock-making goes way back, transcending continents and encompassing an entire range of design styles and technologies. In short, there are many kinds of clocks depending on your needs.

A variety of wall clocks can be found on 1stDibs. A large antique hand-carved walnut wall clock is best suited to a big room and a flat background given what will likely be outwardly sculptural features, while Georgian grandfather clocks, or longcase clocks, will help welcome rainswept guests into your entryway or foyer. An interactive cuckoo clock, large or small, is guaranteed to bring outsize personality to your living room or dining room. For conversation pieces of a similar breed, mid-century modern enthusiasts go for the curious Ball clock, the first of more than 150 clock models conceived in the studio of legendary architect and designer George Nelson

Minimalist contemporary clocks and books pair nicely on a shelf, but an eye-catching vintage mantel clock can add balance to your home library while drawing attention to your art and design books and other decorative objects. Ormolu clocks dating from the Louis XVI period, designed in the neoclassical style, are often profusely ornate, featuring architectural flourishes and rich naturalistic details. Rococo-style mantel clocks of Meissen porcelain or porcelain originating from manufacturers in cities such as Limoges, France, during the 18th and 19th centuries, exude an air of imperial elegance on your shelves or side tables and can help give your desk a 19th-century upgrade.

On 1stDibs, find a range of extraordinary antique and vintage clocks today.

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