Six iconic clocks that rock and stand the test of time

Thrashing around for the phone doesn’t always save time in a busy household. What about something timeless for your floor, wall or bedside table?

Clockwise from left, the Karlsson Cuckoo Clock, suppliers include Meadows & Byrne; Newgate Clocks of England offers LCD alarm clocks; the Nelson Ball Clock, Vitra.

Cuckoo clocks

With their tipping, over-excited little bird whooping out the hours, cuckoo clocks have been around since the 1630s, when the craze for automatons to entertain the gentry began.