We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home recently - living, working, and doing everything in between. Spending so much time in a single space, or a series of rooms, naturally leads to a desire to improve and add some character that might be lacking. As watch-people, other “time” related items are of interest to us as well. So, today it’s with great excitement that we launch our newly expanded Home section, which, for the first time, will have a selection of wall and table clocks as well as other curated items.
Wall Clocks
It really should come as no surprise that as watch enthusiasts, we also like a good clock… or two, or three - or at least one for every room. Below is our inaugural selection of clocks, which includes some truly iconic designs that will look good in any space.
Mondaine Wall Clocks
To launch a collection of clocks and not include perhaps the most well-known clock design in the world would have been a huge mistake… So, we didn’t make it. Based on the 1944 design by Hans Hilfikker for the “Official Swiss Railways Clock,” the Mondaine wall clocks are timeless homages to one of the greatest dial designs in history. Bold, blocky, stylish, the Mondaine wall clocks look like fresh, contemporary designs, despite being based on one that is 76 years old.
We have two styles of wall clock by Mondaine, and the first is their classic 250mm / 9.8” variety available in two colors, red or black. The former has a red aluminum exterior and white dial with black markers, black hour and minute hands, and signature red lollipop seconds. This version stays very faithful to the Railway clock but has added presence on your wall thanks to the bright red exterior. The black version is then a striking departure from the original, with a fully inverted dial. What was white is black and vice versa. Only the red seconds hand remains the same. Housed in a black aluminum body, this version is striking, and has a more modern and severe personality. Both are available for $235
The second version features Mondaine’s Stop2Go technology, and is an app-controlled Smart clock! If you’ve ever been to a Swiss train station and watched the clocks (a weird thing to do if you’re not a watch person, we know) you’ll know that at the top of the minute the second hand hangs for two seconds, before the minute hand jumps ahead, and the seconds start ticking again. Part of a system that keeps the clocks in sync, it’s a quirky but charming trademark of the Railway clocks.
Mondaine recreated this unique motion first on one of their watches, but now have it available for your wall. Featuring a bluetooth enabled movement, the clock actually sets itself to your phone’s time, so you know it’s exact. The Stop2Go function can then be enabled or removed, depending on your mood. Either way, this is pretty much the closest you can get to a Swiss train station without leaving your home or office. Pick this version up for $295
Junghans Max Bill Wall Clocks
Sticking with the hits, we have Max Bill wall clocks by Junghans. These German-made clocks feature designs dating back to the mid ‘50s. With nearly identical dial layouts to his watches, the clocks have a clean, minimalist look that is truly tasteful, and will look good in any room. We’re excited to offer these legendary wall clocks in two sizes and two dials.
With crisp white dials with polished hands, and brushed aluminum housings, the Max Bill clocks, available in 203.2mm / 8” and 304.8mm / 12”, have an austere modern appearance. The smaller is perfect for an office or bedroom, while the larger is ideal for an office or a kitchen. The two dials, one with numerals, the other with just lines, both express Max Bill’s restrained aesthetic. The former features two indexes, one for hours, the other for minutes in Max Bill’s gorgeous typeface. The latter tells the time simply with pencil-thin lines.
For fans of the Bauhaus, Max Bill, or simply having a minimal aesthetic in their home, the Junghans Max Bill Clocks are a must have. The 8” model is $325, while the 12” is $350
Tait Wood Wall Clock
And now for something new and different, we have these wonderfully oversized wall clocks by Tait Design Co. Based in Detroit, Tait is a small design and build house that specializes in American-made goods with minimal, but modern appearances that are just a touch playful.
Measuring a bold 255.4mm / 14” the Tait Wood Wall Clock makes a statement in any room, yet its restrained design makes sure it always looks good. Fabricated in the US, and assembled in Detroit, the body of the clock is solid maple, adding the warmth of wood wherever it is installed. The dial, which is clean, yet industrial, is made of screen printed aluminum. The movement, which is hidden behind a steel plate held on by small magnets, is sourced from Takane, and made in the US as well.
The Tait Wall Clock is available in two colors, Slate and Glacier. Slate is a dark gray that offers a bolder, high contrast look. Glacier is a soft blue/gray for a brighter appearance. Though less contrasty than Slate, Glacier is still easy to read, even from across a room. Both colors are available now for $185
Tabletop Clocks
With a watch on your wrist, and a clock on the wall, all you need are some good tabletop clocks to place around your home and office. Whether on your desk, next to your computer for checking time at a glance, on your bedside table to wake you up in the morning (yes, some of these tabletop clocks feature alarms), or on a shelf as piece of decorative timekeeping, these clocks provide a little bit of horology in and on the spaces in between.
Mondaine Tabletop Clocks
Kicking things off again with Mondaine we have two very different takes on the tabletop clock, both featuring, at their core, the Swiss Railways clock design. First is the 2-in-1 Swiss Railway Alarm Clock. Measure 125mm/4.9” this clock is unmistakably Mondaine, with a brushed aluminum body, and the dial you expect from the brand. What sets it apart, however, is its alarm feature, which is conveniently set with a discreet fourth hand on the dial, as well as unique convertible design. On the back of the clock is a threaded hole that allows you to attach the accompanying stand, should you want to place the clock on a surface. Rather it as a small wall clock? Then remove the stand and use the hanging hole instead. Pretty clever. This model comes in at $210
Next up is the Mondaine Globe Clock, which turns the Swiss Railways clock into a little sculpture for your desk. Featuring a 60mm/2.4” spherical design with a weight red rubber body, it’s unlike any desk clock you’ve ever seen. The clock itself is a module that “pops” into the rubber body, and features a bezel and crystal that continue the shape creating a full orb, save the flat bottom that allows it to sit on a surface. The clock design is pure Mondaine, and on par with a pocket watch in size, making it small, but readable within a few feet. It’s perfect as a desk accent or even a paper weight. Up your desk game for $250
Tait Desk Clock
If you liked the Tait Wall Clock, you’ll love the Desk Clock. Featuring a very similar design, and also made in America from solid maple, aluminum, and steel, the Desk Clock measures 114.3mm / 4.5" in diameter. With a large dial aperture, it’s big enough to be seen from a distance, yet small enough to sit comfortably on a bedside table, dresser, or shelf. The solid maple body gives the clock a nice weight, which when combined with the angled flat portion machined into the bottom of the body allows it to sit nicely on surfaces. Available now for $75
Marathon Mechanical Alarm Clock
Marathon is known for their mil-spec tool watches, so it might come as a bit of a surprise that they also make clocks of various types. The Mechanical Alarm clock caught our eyes for a few reasons. First, they feature a similar no-nonsense design and military sensibility that make their watches so appealing. The dials feel inspired by field watches, which is entirely possible, with an emphasis on large hour numerals and clear markers. Even the hands feature small strips of lume.
Next, is that they are fully mechanical. Quite a rarity these days, there are springs for both the alarm and the time you have to crank on the back of the clock. Mechanical also means there is a charmingly audible tick, and the alarm is a bell that can wake the dead.
Available in white or black, and constructed fully of plastic, save the movement, the Marathon Mechanical Alarm Clock comes in at $20… yes, you read that right.
Calendars
Not all time is measured in little units that click, rather in days, months and the passage of celestial bodies. Yes, calendars show the passage of time as well, but at the Windup Watch Shop, we wanted to highlight calendars you don’t just flip over at the end of the month and throw out at the end of the year. Rather, we wanted calendars of a more conceptual nature.
Watch fans see the words “perpetual calendar” and picture high-priced luxury watches, but there is another variety as well. One where you are the mechanism. A perpetual calendar, in this context, is a calendar that works for all years, and never needs to be thrown away. Everyday, you switch the date to be current. In doing so, not only is it always correct, but by engaging with it, you are likely to learn the date.
Tait Perpetual Calendar
Tait’s take on the concept has an appealingly crafty, low-tech look. A poster of sorts, it’s crafted, in the US, from layers and disks of screen printed chipboard, sandwiched together and bookended by a maple frame. The calendar is then hung on the wall via a ribbon. To set the date, one simply turns the disks for the day, date, and month on the left side of the calendar, and the date is read through windows on the right side.
Great for the home office, kitchen, or anywhere people might gather, the design of the Tait perpetual is playful and bold. Available with black, white, or red print, it’s the last calendar you’ll ever need, and is only $55.
MoMA Perpetual Calendar
For those who prefer something more discreet, but nevertheless, intriguing the MoMa Perpetual Calendar will do the job. Designed in 1998 by Gideon Dagan, the MoMa Perpetual is functional art for your home or office. Though it appears like some sort of small, avant-garde minimal sculpture, it is, in fact, a calendar composed of a silver circle, a black cross beam, and two small orbs. Printed on the black beam is the date, 1 - 31, and the month is printed on the silver circle.
Both are magnetized, as are the orbs, so in order to set the date, you simply move the orbs to indicate the date and month. Simple, and efficient, there is something oddly meditative about lifting the orb and placing it down, one day at a time. Measuring 5.5” x 8” x 2”, the MoMA Perpetual Calendar is small enough to sit on the corner of a desk, on a mantle, or shelf, adding some conversation-starting decor to a room. Grab this unique object for $38
MoMA Phases of the Moon Calendar 2021
This last calendar is not of the perpetual variety, and while it only lasts a year, it doesn’t just show you the day, date, and month, though it does have that information. Instead, this calendar is all about tracking the phases of the moon. Designed by Irwin Glusker in 1995, and updated every year, this US-printed poster measures 18” x 24” and features a matte black surface. On the left are the months, on the top are the days, then arranged accordingly are the dates.
For each date is then a moon, printed in creamy gloss white, with the shadow of the Earth printed in gloss black, together indicating the Moon phase of the day. While the current date is easily readable, the moon is the star, with its various stages of waxing and waning portrayed like a pattern in motion. This calendar is great for any fans of the moon, as well as anyone with a moonphase watch, as it can be used as a reference for setting their timepiece. $18 and the moon is yours… for a year
Etc...
All of the items above are joining our existing Home goods collection, which contains gorgeous prints, cool coasters, watch winders, watch boxes and more. As one last addition, which granted does not tell the time in any way, we’re also adding a new leather good, meant for the home.
Convoy Co Valet Tray
A few months ago we added a bunch of great leather watch accessories by Convoy Co. All handcrafted out of Italian leathers, they are beautiful, luxurious, and surprisingly well priced. Today, we’re expanding on that collection with a trio of valet trays. One of those items you just need, a valet tray is the place to drop your keys, rings, various pocket items, and, of course, your watch. It’s best to not leave your watch just anywhere, so having a specific spot to put it when you take it off, whether in a foyer, bedroom, office, etc, is great to have.
The Convoy Co Valet Tray features an Italian Nappa leather exterior, which is both gorgeous and hardwearing, and an Italian Suede interior, for a soft surface that is safe to place a watch on. Available in black, navy, and green, and made with black hardware, the Convoy Co Valet Tray looks as great as the watch you’ll place in it. Available now for $75.
