Grandfather Clocks for Home

Grandfather Clock Face

The Grandfather Clock Face, or clock dial, on its outer edge can be round or square, or any shape. The Grandfather Clock Face is the prominent part of a clock or watch that presents the time. This is accomplished by the use of numbers and hands in the case of a mechanical clock, or through a digital display in electronic or quartz clocks. (The term clock face or clock dial is not often used to indicate the area on which the time is displayed on digital clocks and watches.) Go to ‘Your Grandfather Clock Face’ to more detail of the Clock Face.

Here in the United States we see clocks in stores, at work, and in our homes that use the numbers 1 through 12 (generally in a circle, despite the outside shape of the clock face). Each number signifies one hour in a 12-hour cycle by having ‘hands’ circle the clock face and point to the numbers.

There are usually two ‘hands,’ the shorter ‘hand’ indicates the hour and circles the clock face twice each day to complete the 24 hour day cycle. The longer ‘hand’ circles the clock face once each hour, thus indicating the minutes. At the half-way point, it is 30 minutes after the hour, etc. Each circle of the clock face by the longer minute ‘hand,’ is one hour, or 60 minutes. On some clocks (usually electric or battery powered, such as wall clock and watches, but not always), the clock face/dial may contain a seconds ‘hand.’ This ‘hand’ revolves around the entire circle of the clock face once for every minute, equaling 60 seconds in a minute. It is unlikely tht you will see a second ‘hand’ on your new Grandfather Clock Face. The combination of the ‘hands’ and the numbered clock face gives us the time each instance we glance its way.

The outside edge of a clock’s face, where the numbers and graduations appear, is often referred to as the chapter ring. A graduation is a marking on any instrument that has indicators of measurement.

In the case of the Grandfather Clock Face

or Longcase clock, the Grandfather Clock Face typically has Roman numerals (I, II, II, IV, etc) to indicate the hours. Grandfather Clocks often have ornately illustrated clock faces. They may even have a Moon phase dial, which shows the phases of the moon with a painted picture of the moon on a rotating disk.

Other clocks can indicate the hour with Hindu-Arabic numerals, or with non-numeric indicator marks.

Directly below you will find some samples of other numerals that can be found on the clock face. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

From what I have gathered during my research and reading, clocks that use only Arabic numerals began to appear in the mid-18th century (1700s). Though that seems quite late in time; I would have suspected that these numerals would have appeared much earlier.

In military installations, or other places using military time, there a different type of clock face. Military time runs on the full 24 hour cycle for each clock face. The numbers around the clock face are numbered 1 through 24 around the outside, and the hour hand makes only one revolution per day.

To your reading pleasure…