Wall Clocks

Giovanni Di Biase2 September 2019

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Is our passion for watches all about just collecting wristwatches? It is not, some prefer pocket watches, others enjoy their love for watchmaking by looking at and collecting wall clocks instead. Not any, however: there are tons of wall clocks, and the majority of them are low-cost products used as "home–decor" items, with no connection at all with any of the watch brands we choose, but there are few cases where a luxury brand offers the wall-clock counterpart to some of the wristwatches we often wear on a daily basis.

There's a not so small community of enthusiasts that are into collecting wall clocks as well as wristwatches: their most desired brands are Rolex and Audemars Piguet, whose wall clocks are rather sought-after; however, there are brands that offer a comprehensive collection of wall clocks whose shape and dial mimic their wristwatch collection. Japanese brands dominate this niche market; Seiko and Citizen are the market leaders, with a slight difference between each other. Most Citizen's wall clocks faithfully reproduce the look of some of the brand's top-selling products and the brand itself has an advantage, from this standpoint, over its biggest Japanese competitor, as you can choose an Eco–Drive wristwatch looking wall clock: I picked, for example, this Citizen Promaster Altichron wall clock from the brand's official catalog.

The Citizen Wall Clock reference CC2014 is a magnified version of a Citizen Promaster Altichron Eco–Drive BN4044–15E, but the comparison between the two is unfair in terms of features, given that there is no altimeter here, which definitely makes no sense on a wall clock, nor is the movement powered by the Eco-Drive technology: AA batteries power the CC2014 instead. No information provided regarding width and thickness, but Citizen has uploaded a picture that helps understand how it is going to fit your home's interior design. The Citizen CC2014 wall clock is officially priced at around 180€, but you can buy one at 130€, approximate, on Amazon right here: Citizen CC2014.

If you move upmarket, the Panerai PAM 642 is the most famous wall clock currently marketed by a luxury watch brand; it belongs to the Florentine brand's collection of instruments. Considering the brand was initially focused on producing professional devices, a wall clock along with a hygrometer and a thermometer makes more sense, from a brand's mission standpoint, than anywhere else. With size at 20 x 25cm, the Panerai PAM 642 wall clock has a thick wooden base and a dial with Arabic numerals on top, displaying hours and minutes, via the brand's signature baton hands.

The (large) steel bezel is fastened via big Allen screws, and the movement is the OP 7043 quartz caliber. It is, In my opinion, great if you own a holiday house close to the waterfront, featuring a marine-style decor and you're looking for the quintessential Panerai wall clock to complement your Panerai wristwatch, while sitting on the sofa. However, It is all but cheap: a Panerai PAM 642 wall clock in new condition retails for € 2,400; you can find one by browsing the Panerai official website.

There are alternative ways to display the time, and the German brand QLOCKTWO offers an out-of-the-box take on the wall clock theme. QLOCKTWO has been producing since 2009 wall clocks and wristwatches, that tell the time (and provide other useful information) instead of displaying it. It is like sitting in front of somebody who's telling you what time it is, via a square panel showing letters, and is available in multiple colors, sizes, and languages. It's a piece of furniture that perfectly combines an interior design minimalistic item to a functional product, in one go. You can check the official AD's list, that includes boutiques if you're living in Germany, by browsing their official website.