Tick! Tock! Which clock?

Clock faces in their simplest form are recognised the world over. The numbers 1-12 run the periphery of the dial and the hour hand makes two rotations to countdown the hours of the day before it starts all over again. Do you prefer to see time passing in this way - knowing you can still see the hours past and the ones coming? Or are you a child of the digital era – a quick glance at your watch/mobile phone tells you what time it is in a single moment? Whatever your preference there is no doubt that this humble timepiece has gone through many changes. Here are 12 things you never thought you wanted to know about clocks:

1. The word clock comes from the Celtic words Clocca or Clogan meaning bell. The first mechanical clocks appeared in the 1300’s and used only bells to signify the hours passing.
2. Clock faces started to appear in the 1400’s when the spring mechanism made it possible for clocks to become smaller.
3. Although Galileo originally conceived the Pendulum clock in the late 1500’s, it is Christiaan Huygens who is attributed with its design and creation in 1656. At the time, the bigger the pendulum meant the more accurate the clock.
   
4. In the 1760’s the first navigational clock was developed in the UK following the sinking of 15 ships and the death of over 2,000 sailors.
5. During the French Revolution in 1793, it was decreed that France would now run on decimal time - This had 10 decimal hours in the day, 100 decimal minutes per hour, and 100 decimal seconds per minute. Therefore the decimal hour was more than twice as long (144 min) as the present hour, the decimal minute was slightly longer than the present minute (86 seconds) and the decimal second was slightly shorter (0.86 sec) than the present second. Clocks were manufactured with this alternate face, usually combined with traditional hour markings. However, it didn't catch on, and France discontinued the mandatory use of decimal time on 7 April 1795, although some French cities used decimal time until 1801.
6. Horology is the study of time and the art of measuring time. Who remembers when John Joe Brennan stole the hearts of the nation on the Late Late Show in 2009 by declaring he would become a horologist when he grew up?
7. Giving a clock gift is considered bad luck in China, but luckily not-so-much in Western civilisation where giving a clock is considered a modern tradition for the first wedding anniversary.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Point 7 segues nicely into point 8 by bringing to your attention the many types of Clocks and clock faces we have available here at Irish Gift Solutions.
9. The traditional and globally recognised 1-12 dial with intertwining rings, map or image at the centrepiece. This can be personalised with family crests, a special wedding blessing and details of the occasion being celebrated.
   
10. The long-established Roman numeral clock face where you can have either IV or IIII at the 4 depending on your preference. This looks particularly impressive on our Pendulum clock.
11. Our newly designed Hurley clock – featuring Hurleys at 12,3,6 and 9 with sliotars symbolising the remaining numbers. Ideal gift for the “Hurler on the ditch” in the family/workplace.
    
12. All of our slate clocks are custom made and come framed and ready for wall hanging. They can be ordered through sales@irishgiftsolutions.com and shipped worldwide!