where they all wind ups ...
where they all wind ups or were some electric?

3 rare clocks being sold on
eBay's Live Auction.

I'm not going after any of them, but I thought you'd like to see 3 rare table models

I suspected that the
Umanoff clocks were going to be the next hot thing. They're so organic and funky.

But, this was the start of Howard Miller beginning to cut some corners.

On these heavy, substantial clocks, the clockfaces are pretty cheap.

I would love to see Arthur Umanoff get his due...his Raymor furniture is beautiful and right in the same style as his heavy wood Howard Miller clocks are.

By the way
this is funny; some guy is selling a Umanoff teacart (sold by Raymor) as a Paul McCobb teacart!


What a scream....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Paul-McCobb-Serving-Cart_W0QQitemZ11024m...

i would pass on that one
i would pass on that one

Is this a Nelson/Umanoff?
it's 622-698...just won it on eBay (where am I gonna put it?)

Got that red wind-up
clock and unfortunately, it's gonna need some work.

First, the case got separated a bit, but I was able to glue it back so it looks fine.

Second, the aluminum clockface is held to the wood by old yellowed double stick tape with foam in the middle. It was completely separated. I had to clean off the old double stick tape and use new tape...it's fine now (but it WAS cheaply made).

Third, after winding, the pendulum doesn't tick, tick, tick for very long.

I'm going to have to take it to my clock repair to figure out what's wrong with the motor.

Bummer...but live and learn. Even though it was an $80.00 clock back then, it wasn't a quality made product,.

Nice Rosewood Umanoff on eBay right now
Isn't this a nice clock? It's number 636

Wow! check this rare clock out
I've never seen this one...and the guy wants $2500.00 for it.

It's got to be rare, but too expensive.

The face is metal.

Running out of time

pieces....

Saw that last clock...neat piece. Justifies $2000? Couldn't say.

Barry...exchanges are mostly LRF and you that it almost seems like a public conversation everyone else evesdrops on.

very few clocks
I have been looking at the George Nelson clocks on ebay lately and it seems it has just dried up. just a bunch of sorry fakes,
I dont know if this is good or bad
I really have more than enough and my walls are covered so I hate to say i might have to move on to a new collection. just wondering what it should be?

I just won this wacky clock (above)
for less than $130.00. I'vew never seen it before and even though it's late, it's kinda cool.

Wonder why there's little if any interest in Nelson clocks on the forum these days...

I'd like to know that
there are a few more members of this wonderful forum who occasionally buy a clock besides Lloyd and I.

The book idea has seemed to run out of steam. I'm in Minneapolis and Lloyd is in Tulsa. Neither of us are writers and since Schiffer Books is so totallly uninterested, it's hard to imagine that I could get it together on my own.

Any ideas?

Book contacts
Barry & Lloyd, I owned an independent bookstore for 12 years that I just sold last July. If you would like, I have contact names and numbers at just about every publisher you can think of. I think it would be a great book, especially in the high-end "coffee table" art format, rather than a cheaper price guide type of book. Middle of the road between those two genres would be DK publishing--check them out, too.

Really cool...thanks
What I had envisioned is a George Nelson Associates book spotlighting the clocks and all other none Nelson designs not handled by Herman Miller including;

Bubble Lamps
Half Nelson lamp
Kite Lamp
Spice Cabinets
Wall Vanity
Wall Desk
Ribbon Wall
Planers
Room Dividers
Dinnerware
Everyday silverware
Carving tools
Fireplace pieces

is the list endless of what?

I haven't heard much from Lloyd lately - either privately or on the forum. Guess he's a busy guy.

Great, Riki!
I have a bunch of decent copies of Howard Miller brochures, a spreadsheet including 300 or so clocks and color variants, as well as a huge collection of copy-ready photographs on my computer.

book
Great, Lloyd, let us know when the tour is and we will all come and raise a glass to your endeavors. I will email her tomorrow and let y'all know what she thinks.

There were two of the
Zoo-Timers clocks which were not reissued by Vitra

2321 - Rowena the Tam
2323 - Samantha the Swallow

The pix above is 2321

For some reason
Vitra passed on those two. Heaven knows why!

Remember, these are cheap clocks and only sold for a mere $9.95 electric and $17.95 battery back then.

I saw an original of Fernando the Fish and it was paper printed and glued over a smooth particle board, similar to what they used to use on the Eames ESU sides.

Don't expect this repro to especially sturdy.

Dots....Howard Miller made
traditional clocks since 1926. I'm not sure if the Gilbert Rohde modern clocks of the 1930's were made by HERMAN Miller, or by HOWARD Miller, but I have seen HERMAN Miller clocks listed on eBay. always in the traditional style.

In 1948, when George Nelson/George Nelson Associates joined HERMAN Miller, his clock designs were produced by HOWARD Miller and continued this arrangement until the early 1970's. I'm not absolutely certain of the break-off date, but the later new clocks were designed by Arthur Umanoff, who was a George Nelson Associates employee. By the early 1970's most of the older Nelson clocks had been discontinued, but it's possible that a few were still in their catalog.

However, by the mid-1970's, all of the Nelson Associates clocks were discontinued and strangely, HOWARD Miller had basically disallowed themselves from mentioning this amazing arrangement in all of their subsequent advertisements, their website, etc. If you call them, they only say that they have nothing to do with the Nelson clocks anymore.

I'm quite certain that Howard Miller probably had rights of first refusal to put out the clocks that Jacquline Nelson later arranged for Vitra to produce. Or, possibily, because of some weird bad blood between Howard Miller and Nelson, they didn't even consider it. Who knows?...but it's darn weird that on their website, they spout about their cool history but completely omit the amazing arrangement between Nelson and Howard Miller.

During the Nelson years, of course, Howard Miller continued their own traditional clock business.

Your Pyramid clock probably had no connection with George Nelson Associates, but a snap of the clock would be helpful.

That's great
Hope you win it

any thoughts ? genuine ?
any thoughts ? genuine ?

as i suspected l but thought...
as i suspected l but thought i should check before windmilling in to the guy

Cool...it's a really nice clock (2258)
but I'm going to have to do some white paint touch ups!

Regarding the clocks that say "George Nelson" on them, honestly, they're more of a rip-off than the Nelson reproduction clocks. At least the repros LOOK like something Nelson Associates designed.

Those clocks marked "George Nelson" are not even close to any original design...they're just an approxiate style, but totally different from anything done by Nelson for Howard Miller.

I wish the Nelson Foundation would seek out those people putting his name on things like that and jail the whole lot of 'em.

I wonder how many people are suckered into buying those clocks.

Now...I HAVE bought a few of the exact reproductions, but only because 1) I'm not much of a fan of Vitra's pricing, and 2) I couldn't locate a Howard Miller original.

As far as repros go, I have the eye, turbine, steering wheel and multi ball. As I find originals, I plan of giving the repros away to friends who want 'em.

There's cool
Being copies, I have most of them, but I probably will bid on 'em.

You betcha
I will

Be careful...there's a guy selling a ball clock
with the key-wind motor, and it's not working. He wants $400.00 for it.

I recently bought a key-wound motor Nelson clock, and it's in the shop because the wind-spring is broken. If it can be repaired (rebuilt), it'll cost over $70.00. (Wind-up motors on Nelson wall clock are no longer available for replacement.)

My repair guy said that if he cannot fix it, after checking with me, he would recommend replacing the key-wind motor with a battery motor. So I'd get a clock with a hole in the face that cannot be filled in.

These guys who are selling untested and unrepaired key-wind clocks should know what the hell they're doing...and i contacted him and nicely mentioned this and told him that $400.00 plus the cost to fix it, isn't such a bargain.

Heck no....if you need information
you'll not find this info anywhere else.

17 or more multi page catalogs on high quality heavy card stock.

Worth it for me,.

Cute clock
!

Dashes...
Howard Miller doesn't give two sh*ts about the entire 28-odd year George Nelson (Associates) experience.

They've distanted themselves so much that nothing on their website mentions anything about the amazingly popular clocks and other pieces designed by Nelson & Co...except for their sole Ball clock that is not an exact reproduction.

I found Howard Miller's attitude terrible; they have no interest in helping anyone or providing any information to anyone.

So, if someone wants to publish those catalogs on the web, I say, more power to ya.

By the way, looks like Vitra is not going to produce any new reproduction clocks this year....

Hehehe
yoDesign, I will agree with you that some of these clocks are not the greatest looking. But, I can see how they would still be appealing to some, depending on the type of collector you are. :)

No, just manners,
yo design!

Nelson Clocks
To clarify the record for those who continue to follow this thread, there are "legitimate" George Nelson clocks that bear his name. His last designs indicate that they are "by George Nelson" and include his signature. A link to a picture is attached, as I still haven't figured out how to attach pictures directly to this board.

http://www.artnewyork.com/interior/kitchenware/html/clock4.htm

With regard to the lack of uniformity in the quality of Nelson's designs, one must remember that they span a period of almost 40 years and involved a litany of different people working in the Nelson office. Tastes change. Moreover, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, many of the clocks pictured on this thread are not in fact Nelson's work. It is my understanding that Umanoff did not work in Nelson's office and that Howard Miller had a separate contract with him. Thus, Nelson can't be blamed for the red and blue clocks at the top of this thread. [Sorry, Barry, but they are not to my taste.]

As for William's dig at collectors, I would just say that most whom I know appreciate quality, but wish to understand the many other designs that eventually led to the great ones. I have found that some of my favorite Nelson clocks are ones I did not initially appreciate. For instance, Nelson's hexagon clock uses an ingenious design that employs an interior and exterior hexagon to make up the 12 hour markers. It was not until I had the clock up on my wall and studied it that I learned to appreciate the thought that went into it. If I were not a "collector," I never would have learned to appreciate that design, which I initially viewed as the least interesting of the motion notion series.

http://www.architonic.com/mus/gal/4106006

Just won this one
it's 2262 and darn rare. It's electric.

I'm real excited....

Thanx!
I won it for $204.00...which is about $50.00 too much but that's the going rate for the rarer ones.

Crikey, a vintage ball clock was sold on eBay for $399.00 - buy it now....so I guess I didn't pay too much.

Riki, I don't have quite as many clocks as you'all think I do!
I own:
repro:
* the eye clock
* the turbine clock
* the multi ball clock
* the steering wheel clock
* the kite clock

real:
* the spike clock - electric
* the basket clock - electric
* three of the ceramic Meridian clocks - 2 electric, 1 battery (blu Botossi, white and red, the porus Horse clock)
* 1 weird beige linoleum segemented clock - was a wind-up but had to be refitted as a battery motor
* 2 of the Umanoff casket clocks with pendulums - both red, different shapes
* 1 large round walnut clock with brass edge - electric
* 1 black case school clock - electric
* 2 butcher block clocks - 1 square and 1 round
* 2 wrap around rattan clocks - 1 square and 1 round
* 1 yellow Asterik clock - battery
* 1 real early wood cone clock - electric
* 1 of the Swingtimers clocks - battery
* 1 of the plain Umanoff clocks - electric
* 1 late black mirror clock - battery
* 1 round wood and leather clock - battery
* 1 round wood clock with roman numerals - battery

A nice collection, but not too many earth shattering. No table model clocks...too expensive.

If anyone gets up to Minneapolis, I'd be glad to show 'em off......

I have 33 of my clocks ...
I have 33 of my clocks in my office just like someone would have border paper,they all work and have no electric cords. so they are nice and silent
every one who sees my office goes nuts for them
The other 13 are scattered around the house.

vintage clock in the box
I was at an auction yesterday in Ohio that had an old original Howard Miller clock still in it's old, yellowed, original box. However, it was weird. It was just the "dots", 12 round wooden dowel plugs with finishing nails coming out of the back and a battery powered middle part with an hour hand and a minute hand. It looked like a kit for somebody who wanted to mount a clock on a homemade base or directly on the wall or something. Have you ever seen anything like this? I swear, the box was true. It was Howard Miller, no doubt.

Riki
Judging by the numbers of them that have turned up on eBay, this built-in clock must've sold rather well. After all, think of all the banks, real estate offices, law offices, and stores with nice wood walls would've wanted this built-in clock.

It was very high styled looking built into a walnut paneled wall, for example.

found this on Treadway...
Anybody know anything about this clock? Found it randomly when searching for Girard stuff on Treadway...says it's !950's Nelson but no model number...its obviously Howard Miller, but is it Umanoff, or Nelson?

I saw one of those Howard Miller build into your wall clocks on Ebay
I think it was in its original HM box,with numbers,not markers.And cheap,too-only $150 or something.Wish I could've used it!

One option with those built-ins
is to get your hands on a nice square piece of solid or veneered walnut, mahogony, rosewood, or some such nice wood and make up your own clock. If you put 2x4's on the back edges, you'll create a box that with the motor, yours will fit flat against the wall.

I don't have one of these models, but you could certainly create a hellava nice family keepsake clock!

howard miller #622910
does anyone know anything about this one? you will have to scroll down to see the clock. it is an 80's clock i think. it uses aa batteries. thanks
http://hmclocks.exblog.jp/

re: hm 622910
Thanks for your reply, The guys at howard miller found it in a 1990 catalog. It came in white, black or red and cost $29.00. A "howard miller" design. Thanks again