Nelson eye clock 1
I've seen this clock below. Now I've never ever bought a knock off in my life, and really don't like the idea but it's for a small corner in a hall way (the colours match some art I have) so I can't really justify paying for a Vitra clock. I know it's missing the seconds hand but apart from that it looks ok? What do people think, it's cheap after all!

http://www.mojointeriors.co.uk/uk/eye-clock-p-468.html

Non-Vitra
I've seen a non-Vitra repro here in the USA and it looked really nice. I'd bet they are distributed from the same place. Unless you owned the Vitra, It's hard to tell the difference.

Yea...maybe me too
I have seen on eBay people in the UK selling what looks to be a high quality knockoff.

Did the original have a second hand? I thought that this particular clock, with it's weird minute and hour hands, didn't have a second hand....in the first place.

This sure brings up on an issue; Schiffer should put a book out researching ALL of the non-Herman Miller GEORGE NELSON Associates pieces.

This book should include ALL of the known Howard Miller and Meridian Nelson clocks, the "Florence" melmac from Prolon, the box lamp I have that I've read is a Nelson design, the fireplace set, and jax bookends (did he design them or not), etc. and provide research as to who in the Nelson Associates group actually designed each piece.

I would buy that book in a heartbeat.

LRF
where would I buy the quality knock off in the US?

My Whiteonwhite's website is dizzying
Nice website, but I think I got a migrane from trying to view the pix in the small popup window.

No specifics as to material quality or price, tho. no shipping info, either

I did email them...we'll see if I get a reply.

Vitra Eye clock
Funny thing about the Vitra Eye clock, If you hang it horizontal it will bow. I went to a couple local DWR's and both were bowed(one really bad). After seeing that I sold my Vitra.

mine looks good
no bowing on this one . i think it looks good no one is more picky then me, That web site for white on white sucks as far as i am concerned with that stupid process of down loading pics. and hard to read pics the first thing i did when i got the clock i measured to the vitra and it was the same,
I am thinking of getting the kite black and white clock
I did notice that it is reversed from right to left from vitra but simple enough just turn the clock movement and it will be perfect, If they were crappy fakes I would not buy them and I would tell my DA
buddies that they were fakey looking, but these are really good for the price. as i own several vitra clocks and they are just like them and have the wood centers ,
I do not like this company white on white at all I feel there stuff is junk as I have seen some of their goods in a apartment in NYC and the couple that owned the stuff was real disappointed, I think they have a lot of stuff made up from China or Turkey, were the owners are from ,and this stuff is not Alphaville,
I can't believe how expensive the Vitra clocks are as i buy 2 or 3 a year, i do like to collect the nelson clocks, the old ones, go for 800 to 1000 and they are just not worth it, as they do not run, I have the original orange from 1956 and gave 650.00 and it is just no big deal as it does not run at all, it is electric with a cord and is ugly on the wall,
I will let every one in on the best kept secret Howard Miller reintroduced 2 clocks three years ago as they still own the original rights to the astrick clock in black and the Nelson ball clock in black and chrome, both marked Howard Miller you can buy them on ebay for about 55.00 each and still are as original as original can be,
I called and talked to Howard Millers grandson about 6 months ago and visited with him about the clocks asking him if they were going to reintroduce any more of them,
He said in 1982 they reintroduced several Nelson clocks with quartz movements, they sold very poorly as they were very disappointed, The widow of George Nelson I believe her name is Jacqueline made a deal with Vitra to allow them to manufacture Georges clocks in the late 90's and that is what you see out in the market place, but if you want to get two great clocks for 100.00 bucks together buy the Howard miller ones cause in my opinion they are worth far more than the vitras, as what could be better than the owning one from the original company

LRF...how much did it cost?
The website gave me 'a bad case of da miseries'....but I'd buy one if it was reasonable. May i ask you how much did it cost? How much did they charge for postage?

Thanx-au-go-go in advance

whitespike
i just measured the original ball clock from 1956 to the one that i got from Howard miller the new howard millers are a little larger but i find that not so unusual.
I think it was more than likely when they retooled it and they tried to make it more marketable
anybody know about the astrick clock
i have the howard miller also in that one ,
I can not see why anyone would want the vitra in that one cause it is just like the howard miller with exception that the minute hand is smaller, and about 200. cheaper.

Asterisk
is nothing like the Vitra version. The Howard Miller is significantly bigger. The hands are slightly different (more flimsy). The metal body is not as heavy gauged. The backing is more shallow (which I noticed that it makes the shadows behind it less exaggerated).

A great clock for $50. I have it. But it isn't the same.

My eye clock should be here...
My eye clock should be here either tomorrow or Saturday so I'll post an image/my findings then. I'm keen on the steering wheel clock too (being an evid motor racing fan!).

Joel
Because of the weight of the metal, the wood will sag. You can of course flip the back plate if it sags and just hang it at 180 degrees. I saw your pictures on Flickr with the clock wall, it looks great. How are you liking the Tolomeo Mega?

barry you might call one...
barry you might call one of those clock dealers and see if howard miller is still making that clock and see if they can order it for you,

Always a risk buying knockoffs.
A friend just bought a knockoff Sunburst clock (against my recommendations). The photo showed an exact replica of the Nelson, but when the actual clock arrived it was pure crap. It was made out of cheap sheet metal, the proportions were all fkd up and the hands were oddly colored. It bore absolutely NO resemblance to the clock in the photo she had seen on the website, which was more than likely a photo stolen from Vitra or DWR.

podboy
don't get hung up on verbiage
Howard miller is the maker of clocks and if you have a clock that is a ball clock or astrick by Howard miller how can you go wrong?
Just cause they reintroduced those clocks is no difference than Vitra. I have them both and i see no difference in owning one over the other, I personally like owning the Millers cause they made the first series, that we call original these are just another series, but none the less inferior or less original, now if the Nelson clocks were made by the Target company I would have to
take another look but, every clock you get that is designed by Michael Graves will have the same worth as Nelson clock 50 years from now and one of his clocks is in a very prestigious book i own called World design

I see your point
But the Howard Miller clocks are not even to be considered reproductions. They are not true in their dimensions and/or material quality. This is NOT equivalent to small changes made to products over time. This is a product lower in quality than the original, with dimensions changes probably only for legal reasons. Most of the time the changes in production that you speak of happens based on manufacturing contraints and changes in technology. Therefore I don't view these changes to be similar.

This is a rare occurance of a knockoff being created by the original manufacturer. Like I said, I own one. But, I know what it is and I'm fine with it. I just wanted a damn clock that looks good for less than a hundred bucks. While it's no Vitra, it's not bad. But it isn't "the same."

LRF & Whitespike
I'm in contact with Leslie Pina at Shiffer...I'm trying to interest her (him?) in a George Nelson Associates book that features all the junk he (they) did companies OTHER than Herman Miller, including:

All known clocks from Howard Miller and Meridian (God, there's always something that pops up on eBay that NOBODY's ever seen before....)

The Florence line for Prolon (I believe that Nelson had nothing to do with this line...it was Irving Harper)

The jax bookends (were they or were they not Nelson??)

The Kite Lamp (I have one and saw someone selling one on eBauy claiming it to be Nelson....)

The wrought fireplace set

I believe that GNA also was involved in flatware and other junk. (Isn't there a "Helmet" lamp??)

It would be swell for her to also, once and for all, provide bios on alll the important people at GNA and give credit where credit's due.

When I discovered that Irving Harper did the Marshmellow Sofa and that Nelson didn't want his associates' name on the stuff, it was a bit of a turnoff.

Donald Plie (or is it Pile) also designed some specific items too.

God, it would be so cool to use the clocks as a lead-off and do his whole non-Herman Miller legacy. Most of this stuff is either mislabeled as Nelson or is obscure.

Anyhow, I would jump at the chance to get a book with ALL known Nelson clocks...wouldn't you?

Yeas
I'm 100% with you Barry!

2 Rare table models
I was looking through my pix and rediscovered these two photographs.

The "Shadow Clock" my late friend use to have, so I 'lived' with it for about a year. It was big and beautiful.

The second table clock I've never ever seen.

Aren't they grand...and rare as houndsteeth?

LRF...never had a chance...
My late friend, John Rothermel (who got me interested in quality design stuff) had quite a collection of Nelson clocks (not to mention the Girard living room furniture and a pair of Frankel lamps.

He sold the clocks long before he got sick. I got a number of things upon his death, but, heck, the clocks were long gone by that time!

He also had a large black wall clock. I think it was referred to as the "Hubcap" clock.

The eye clock has just...
The eye clock has just arrived, very nice quality - Weighs a lot and the materials look to be nice. I'll get some images shortly!

joel they look great I ha...
joel they look great I have almost the same ones,
I framed your poster and it looks great on my wall,

I agree LRF, bet they are...
I agree LRF, bet they are making a nice profit! However, just to line Vitra's pockets further I also agree it's worth going for that for the sake of a few more $!