- German Anniversary Clocks
- Weight Driven
Wall Clocks - Mantel Clocks
- Wood Wall Clocks
- Antiqued Dial
Wall Clocks - Tabletop Clocks
Glossary of Clock Terms
A collection of meanings of common clock terms.
A
- Alarm
- Sound a clock makes to awaken the sleeper at a certain time. They come in various sounds: bell, double bell, chirp, beep, buzz, melody, etc.
- Analog
- Traditional look of time told by the angular positioning of hands on a dial.
- Anniversary Clock
- The name comes from the fact that when it was first invented, it needed winding just once a year on its anniversary (approximately 400 days). Characterized by a glass dome and a rotating pendulum. Also known as a "400 Day Clock".
- Arabic Numerals
- Most common number style (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) used on clock dials.
- Arch
- The curved part of a clock case that resembles a door arch.
B
- Beat
- Term to describe the tick-tock of a mechanical timepiece. A clock is said to be in beat if the spacing between the tick and the tock are equal. If they are not equally spaced, the clock is out of eat and will generally stop after a short run.
Click here for instructions on putting your keywound wall clock back into beat.
- Beveled Glass
- Glass used in the clock case with an angled surface beginning about 3/4" from the edge.
- Big Ben Gong
- Deep-sounding chime that announces the hour. Modeled after the large bell clock in the tower of the House of Parliament in London.
- Bim-Bam
- Chime which only counts the hour and announces the half-hour.
Many of Loricron's Wood Case Wall Clocks, Quartz Mantel Clocks, and German Chiming Anniversary Clocks feature the Bim-Bam chime option
- Bob
- Round, weighted end of a clock pendulum. Often made of brass.
- Bow Top
- Decorative feature found in certain mantel and wood case wall clocks. Characterized by a curved top section.
Loricron's 856-W Wood Case Wall Clock features a bow top case.
- Bracket Clock
- Term used by the British to indicate a table or shelf clock. Characterized by a square case with a handle on top, as it was designed to be carried from room to room.
- Balloon Clock
- Mantel or tabletop clocks shaped like hot-air balloons of the late 18th Century.
- Burl
- Decorative pattern in the wood grain caused by a seres of irregularities that add to the character of the wood.
C
- Cable Driven
- Mechanical movement powered by weights hanging on cables wound with a key or crank.
- Case/Cabinet
- That which contains the clock, the housing or containment for the works (movement)
- Carriage Clock
- Small portable clock, usually has a brass case with glass sides and a decorative handle on top.
See Loricron's 1797-W carriage clock
- Center Shaft
- Shaft that the minute hand is attached to, geared to make one revolution every 60 minutes.
- Chain Driven
- See also Weight Driven
Traditional cuckoo clock movement. It is driven by weights hung from chains with engaged sprockets.
Loricron offers 8 Day Weight Driven Wall Clocks
- Chapter Ring
- A decorative ring on the clock face upn which the hours are indicated. A feature of many traditional style mantel clocks. Also a prominent feature of clocks with skeleton movements.
- Chime Melody
- Tune played by the clock on the hour. A 4/4 Chime plays music and counts the hour, quarter hour, half hour, & three-quarter hour.
- Chime Rods
- Tuned rods which, when struck by small hammers powered by the clock movement, produce the chime melody and strike the hour. A component found in mechanical chime mantel and wall clcoks.
- Chip
- Small silicon square onto which integrated circuits are imprinted. An integral part of the quartz movement.
- Cornice
- Topmost molding of a clock case. The 833-W is a great example of a well-defined cornice.
- Crystal
- Flat or convex piece of glass that covers the dial. Usually fitted into a brass bezel.
D
- Day Ring
- Divided ring on a lunar dial that indicates the days in the 29 1/2 day lunar cycle.
- Dial
- The face of a clock on which the hours are located.
- Digital
- Time display that uses no hands but shows the time in numbers and read out screen.
- Drop Case
- Wall clock with a lower case, which usually houses a swinging pendulum such as a Schoolhouse style clock.
Loricron offers several drop case wall clocks: 850-W, 860-W, 854-W, 8130-K (keywound), 8140-K (keywound).
E
- Escapement
- A means by which the pendulum allows the going train to operate at a regular interval, thus controlling the passage of time. It usually consits of anchor and escape wheel.
Loricron's Weight Driven Wall Clocks, Keywound Wall Clocks, and select Keywound Mantel Clocks feature pendulum-driven escapement.
- Etching
- A process used to create a design in metal by the action of an acid. Feature found on the metal dials of many German Anniversary Clocks.
F
- Finial
- The spires, turnings, or decorative points on top of a clock case. May be wood or metal. Sometimes removable. Some are called "ball and spike", "urn", "acorn", etc.
- Finish
- Process and materials used to create an attractive wood surface. Examples include deep cherry, medium oak, mahogany, antique walnut, etc.
H
- Hands
- Used to mark hours, minutes, or seconds on a clock dial. Made of metal or plastic.
I
- Inlay
- Thin layers of wood applied to form a decorative pattern.
K
- Keywound
- A spring-driven clock that is wound with a key or crank.
Loricron has many keywound Mantel Clocks and Wall Clocks
L
- Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
- Most frequently used in quartz alarms. Time is continuous, displayed in digital form.
- Light Emitting Mode (LED)
- Number telling the hours and minutes light up on a readout screen.
- Lunar Dial
- See also Moon Dial
An additional dial on a clock face that indicates the phase of the Moon each day.
- Lyre
- Ornamental feature on a pendulum resembling the ancient Greek instrument.
Loricron wood wall clocks with Lyre Pendulums: 833-W, 859-W, 856-W, 827-W
M
- Marquetry
- A type of decoration on wood made by inlaying wood veneers in elaborate designs.
- Minute Track
- Square or circular track divided into 60 equal segments. It may appear on the outer perieter of the dial or in the dial center.
- Moon Dial
- See also Lunar Dial
An additional dial on a clock face that indicates the phase of the Moon each day.
- Movement
- Timekeeping mechanism of the clock, which also produces the strike and chime. Comes in quartz (battery), keywound, or weight-driven.
P
- Pediment
- The decorative top of a case, above the cornice.
- Pendulum
- A suspended, swinging rod and weight (bob) that regulates the clock movement in keywound/mechanical clocks. The pendulum in quartz (battery) clocks is purely decorative; the clock does not need it to properly function.
- Pilaster
- Decorative feature used to create the effect of columns on the clock cabinet.
Loricron wood wall clocks featuring pilasters: 833-W, 859-W, 856-W, 827-W
- Pinch-Waisted
- Traditional clock style with the crown and case wider than the part of the clock enclosing the pendulum.
Q
- Quartz
- Electronic transistorized movements that work on battery energy and require no winding or plug-in electricity. A tiny quartz crystal, vibrating at a high frequency, allows the clock mechanism to perform with extraordinary precision.
Loricron offers quartz Wall Clocks, Mantel Clocks, German Anniversary Clocks, Tabletop Clocks, Antiqued Dial Wall Clocks
R
- "R-A" Regulator
- Slang term for wall regulator with "R-A" on the pendulum. "R" stands for retard by turning the adjusting nut toward R to lower the pendulum bob. "A" stands for advance by turning the adjusting nut toward A to raise the pendulum bob.
- Regulator
- Mechanism that can be adjusted to make the clock more accurate. Sometimes the word "Regulator" is printed on the clock's glass, usually on Schoolhouse clocks.
See Loricron wood wall clock models 850-W, 860-W, 8130-K (keywound), 8140-K (keywound)
- Roman Dial
- A dial with Roman numerals (I, II, III) frequently used in traditional style carriage, mantel, wall, tabletop, and anniversary clocks.
- Rotating Pendulum
- A feature found on both keywound and quartz (battery) anniversary clocks. Characterized by decorative balls in crystal or metal finish.
See Loricron German Anniversary Clocks
S
- Schoolhouse Clock
- Traditional wood cabinet wall clock with a round or octagonal clock case and lower pendulum cabinet. Said to be true Early American Design. This style was most commonly found on classroom walls in American Colonial days.
See Loricron wood wall clock models 850-W, 860-W, 854-W, 8130-K (keywound), 8140-K (keywound)
- St. Michael Chimes
- Chimes originally installed in the St. Michael church steeple in Charleston, SC in 1764.
- Scroll
- Decorative ornament resembling a partially rolled scroll of paper.
- Straight Sided
- A style of clock cabinet in the same width from crown to base.
- Strike
- Chime or gong that indicates the hour.
Loricron models with "-W" chimes feature 4/4 Westminster Chime and Hour Strike
T
- Tambour
- Style of clock case sometimes referred to as "Napoleon's Hat".
See Loricron Mantel Clocks
- Tempus Fugit
- Latin phrase meaning, "Time Flies". Seomtimes engraved on a decorative panel on the clock dial or a plaque attached to the clock case.
- Timetrain
- The series of gears in the clock movement that operates the minute and hour hands (and second hand where applicable). The timetrain is responsible for activating the chime in the movement.
- Triple Chimes
- Movement that plays 3 different chimes: Westminster, Whittington, St. Michael
- Tubular Bell Chime
- Long hollow tubes which, when struck by small hammers powered by the clock movement, produce the chime melody and strike the hour.
V
- Veneers
- Thin layers of wood chosen for their attractive grain and permanently applied to a core material. The same material and method are used in making violin and guitar cases.
See Loricron Wood Wall Clocks and Mantel Clocks
W
- Weight Driven
- See also Chain Driven
Traditional cuckoo clock movement. It is driven by weights hung from chains with engaged sprockets.
Loricron offers 4 8 Day Weight Driven Wall Clocks
- Westminster Chimes
- Most popular tune used in chiming clocks. This famous tune originated in the Victorian clock towers in the House of Parliament in London.
see Loricron Wood Wall Clocks, Mantel Clocks, and Germany Anniversary Clocks
- Whittington Chimes
- Chimes originally rang in the church of St. Mary Le Bow in London. Legend has it that a young boy running away from his master thought he heard them call out his name, telling him to turn back. Dick Whittington did and eventually became the Lord Mayor of London.