Grandfather clock
A traditional grandfather (longcase) clock: a carved hood with brass finials, a painted break-arch dial with Roman numerals and a small seconds dial, and a long seconds pendulum swinging behind the trunk door between three brass weights.
The arch above the dial is a working moon-phase display. Its painted disc turns through the lunar month, so the moon you see matches tonight’s real phase, disappearing behind the two half-globes at new moon. The weights slowly sink through the week, as if the clock were wound every Sunday.
Customise the grandfather clock
How to use
- Switch clocks with ← →, by clicking or tapping the sides of the screen, or by swiping. The dice button (R) jumps to a random clock.
- Go full screen with the button in the top-right corner, a double-click or F.
- Open Customise (S) to change colours, fonts, 12/24-hour time, seconds, date and time zone. Settings are saved on this device.
Questions
- How does a moon-phase dial work?
- A disc painted with two moons turns half a revolution every lunar month (about 29.5 days). The moon climbs out from behind one half-globe, is fully visible at full moon, then sinks behind the other.
- Why is it called a grandfather clock?
- Tall longcase clocks got the nickname from Henry Clay Work’s 1876 song “My Grandfather’s Clock”, about a clock that stopped when its owner died.
More clocks
ClockFaces · Free online clocks