In Modern Age, Grandfather Clocks Head to the Graveyard

The long, slow chime of the grandfather clock may finally be fading out. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, John J. Miller notes that Howard Miller Company, the Michigan manufacturer that helped put tall pendulum clocks into American living rooms, plans to shut down its manufacturing this year. The firm blames tariffs, housing woes, and recession worries—but Miller argues the deeper issue is that, in a world of cellphones and smartwatches, few people need a 6-foot-tall piece of furniture to know the time. "Checking the time hardly requires a honking piece of furniture, even if its honks are pleasant chimes on the quarter hour," Miller writes.

Miller traces the grandfather clock's rise—from pendulum breakthroughs in the 17th century to its status-symbol tenure in the late 20th century—and its current slump, with custom makers and antique dealers watching demand evaporate, especially among younger "Ikeans" (ie, those who prefer to pick up modern assemble-yourself furniture from retailers like Ikea). Open-plan homes leave fewer walls to host them, and even "clockwise" has become a fuzzy concept for students raised on digital displays. Still, some clock manufacturers and museums are trying to keep the tradition alive, preserving both the craftsmanship and the stories behind these nostalgia-inducing timepieces. More here.