They have distinctive faces for one. Some are quiet, some eloquent, while others merely make a racket. They have their own rhythm. Some work well only when things are just so. Others are more forgiving, they are able to work a bit off balance.
Clocks come in all shapes and sizes, and as in humans, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Perhaps because of all these traits, we still find a place in our homes for manual clocks. Gerald Grunsell and Thomas Gregory, both sellers of fine old clocks, agree that it is the human connection that makes clocks appealing. That most obvious connection is the ticking sound a clock makes. The speed of the ticks is determined by the length of the pendulum. A long case clock might go 60 beats a minute, rather like a human heart,'' observed Mr. Grunsell, who has maintained his shop, The Horologist of London, on Main Street in Ridgefield for 20 years.