Large Wall Clocks

How big is large

In this range large means a face of roughly 60cm across or more, which is the point at which a clock stops being an object on a wall and starts being the thing the wall is about. Below that a clock reads as one item among several and needs company; above it, it can carry an empty wall on its own. The practical test is the room rather than the clock: a face that looks oversized in a shop will look correct on a chimney breast and small in a double-height hall.

Placing it so you can read it

A clock you cannot read from the sofa is a picture, which is fine if that is what you wanted. If it is not, hang it so the centre sits a little above eye level when standing, and keep it out of direct sun, which fades a printed face over a few years. Above a fireplace and on the wall facing a kitchen door are the two placements people are happiest with, because both are seen in passing rather than stared at.

Metal frames and glass faces

Most large clocks are built around a metal frame, because metal holds a wide circle true where timber would need far more depth to do the same job. That is why the frame can be slim at this size without the clock going oval over a few years. A glass front protects the face and is what you want in a kitchen, where the air carries grease that an open face will collect. An open face is easier to read at an angle and does gather dust on the hands, which is a two-minute job once a year rather than a real drawback.

Black, gold, grey and silver

The frame colour does more work than the face design at this size, because it is what you see from across the room. Black reads as a clean circle against a pale wall and is the safest against a busy one. Gold and brass warm a room and pick up on lighting and handles elsewhere. Grey and silver are the quietest and suit a wall that already has pictures on it, where another strong shape would be one too many.

The mechanism, and the ticking

Almost all of these are quartz movements running on a single battery, which is why a large clock costs what it does rather than what a mechanical one would. The question worth asking is whether the movement is a standard ticking type or a sweep, because a ticking second hand that is unnoticeable in a kitchen is very noticeable in a bedroom at two in the morning. Battery life on a large movement is usually a year or more.

Hanging it safely

A clock at this size has real weight, and the fixing is the part to get right. A plasterboard wall needs a proper hollow-wall anchor rather than a picture hook, and a masonry wall wants a plug rather than a nail. Check the weight on the product page and match the fixing to it, then check the clock sits flat against the wall rather than leaning, because a heavy face that leans will work its own fixing loose over time.