Learn About Wall Clocks

Wall clocks are the most commonly owned clocks at both home and work. These time pieces come in a variety of different types and can be either mechanical or battery-powered. Some simple wall clocks are powered by battery-powered "quartz" movements, while other, more traditional clocks are powered by wind-up mechanical movements. Both varieties can have chimes that play on the quarter hours and strikes that tune the number of the hour. Some battery clocks even pick up their time over the air from the atomic clock.

CHIMES

The chimes of a wall clock are usually played on rods although occasionally do play on a bell. Older wall clock designs often forgo chimes to match the design of the original time piece. To learn more about chimes in clocks and to hear a selection of them, view the chimes page.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Battery powered clocks will run for roughly a year on their batteries. We recommend changing them when resetting the clock for daylight savings time each year. Mechanical clocks, much like a care should be relubricated periodically. For clocks, that period is once every 2-3 years. To learn more about clock care and maintenance, visit the basic clock care page.