Like clockwork at home...

Wait a minute, do you still have a ticking clock at home! Nowadays, almost all clocks are digital and quiet, but I remember my grandmother having one of those robust standing clocks with a gold-coloured clapper that ticked loudly back and forth. It rang so loudly every hour that it woke up the whole neighbourhood. The clock may have a dusty image by now, but that is absolutely not true! I take you through the special history of the clock, we go from sundial to smartwatch and share a few eye-catchers for the modern home.

Clockmaking with the elements: from sundial to water clock and hourglass

Centuries ago, the Egyptians and later the Romans used sundials to read the time by placing a stick or an oblong piece of stone in the ground and watching the course of the shadow. But what if the sun did not shine? The Greeks had found a handy solution to this problem: the water clock! A reservoir or large bowl held a certain amount of water, which then dripped through a small hole into a second container. Depending on how much water had run through, one could estimate how much time had passed. Similar to the later hourglass!

From eco design to the mechanical and electric clock

With a bird's eye view, we go on to the invention of the mechanical clock, which was made around the 10th century by the Frenchman Gerbert. The clock drew its energy from weights and this made it possible to read the time much more accurately than had been possible up until then. With each technological invention, clocks became more accurate and could therefore be made smaller and more convenient. Where you still had to wind the mechanical clock weekly or even daily, with the invention of the electric clock you could do 15 years with one (watch) battery! At the beginning of the 20th century, you can see that clocks and especially watches are mass-produced and are used and worn by more and more people.

Hey Siri, what time is it?

When we then also make the transition from analogue to digital clocks, the world comes increasingly within reach. How about the clock radio, which woke you up with music from your favourite radio station. Or look at the smartwatch, with which you can even call and appen! The latest watches have become portable computers that allow you to do so much more than just read the time. In addition, watches have become a real status symbol; with the latest design from your favourite fashion house or the latest upgrade to your smartwatch, you show what your identity is.

From the closet to the wall

Due to the immense technological progress and the possibility of having the entire world at your fingertips (even literally on your wrist!), we see the clock slowly disappearing from the interior. At home, the mostly white walls are filled with an immense TV and a few design posters. But we plead for the return of the clock and grant it a prominent place on the wall! For each type of interior, you can find a matching clock, which shows your unique sense of style.

1. If a water clock or hourglass is too complicated for you, but you would like to bring some nature into your home, a wooden clock with real moss.

2. A modern upgrade from that old-fashioned and loudly ticking pendulum clock.

3. A modern design clock gives a chic look on dark walls. A real eye-catcher!

4. Or what about a modern cuckoo clock for a playful twist.

5. Go for a tough industrial clock where you can see the mechanism.

6. As modern as possible? Then go for a sleek digital wall clock.