Wall clocks for indoors and outdoors
Wall clocks from 16cm to 58cm across, in traditional analogue faces and large-format digital displays. Most of the range adds a thermometer, and several include radio controlled time so they set themselves and never need adjusting.
If the temperature reading matters more than the clock, see weather clocks. For clocks of every type, see the full clock range.
Analogue or digital
The choice usually comes down to where the clock is going and who will be reading it.
An analogue face suits a garden wall, porch, kitchen or hallway, reads well from an angle, and looks like part of the room rather than a device. The Cheltenham outdoor wall clock at 58cm is the largest traditional face we stock and is designed to be read from the far end of a garden. The Bickerton indoor and outdoor wall clock with thermometer at 30cm is the more compact version of the same idea, and the Herbs indoor and outdoor wall clock is the decorative choice for a conservatory or covered patio.
A digital display wins on absolute legibility and on extra information. The large digital clock with date and day lets you select an analogue or digital presentation on the same screen, and the extra-large digital clock with day, date and alarms is the most readable clock in the range. The Bresser Jumbo LCD wall clock in black and the white version combine a large LCD with day, date and radio controlled accuracy.
Choosing a size
Size is the specification people most often get wrong, and it is worth a moment with a tape measure. As a rough guide, a 20cm to 25cm face reads comfortably from three or four metres, a 30cm face from around six, and a 50cm or larger face from across a large room or a garden.
If the reason for buying is failing eyesight, go larger than feels necessary and prioritise contrast — black on white, or white on black — over styling. A digital display with tall digits will almost always beat an analogue face of the same diameter for readability at distance.
Wall clocks with a thermometer or barometer
A good number of customers arrive looking specifically for a wall clock with a thermometer, or with a barometer as well, and it is one of the things we are known for. Several clocks here include a temperature dial or display in the same case.
Bear in mind what that thermometer is actually measuring. On an outdoor clock it reads the air where the clock hangs, so a sheltered north-facing wall gives a genuinely useful figure while a sunlit south wall will read several degrees high on any bright day. Indoors it reads room temperature.
If you want a clock showing the true outside temperature while it hangs indoors, you need a model with a separate wireless outdoor sensor — those are in the weather clock range. For a clock alongside a proper barometer in one traditional case, see the banjo barometer range, and for barometers on their own the full barometer range.
Clocks that set themselves
Radio controlled wall clocks receive the MSF time signal from Anthorn and correct themselves continuously, including both annual clock changes. For a clock high on a wall, in a stairwell, or anywhere you would need to fetch a ladder, this is more valuable than it sounds.
The Yarnton radio controlled wall clock is the analogue option and both Bresser Jumbo LCD models are radio controlled. Reception is generally reliable across the UK, though thick stone walls, steel-framed buildings and basements can block the signal — see radio controlled clocks for more on that.
Outdoor clocks and the weather
Every outdoor clock here is built for outdoor conditions, but building for it and thriving in it are different things. Two positions cause almost all the problems we hear about: a wall that takes driving rain, and a wall in full afternoon sun. Damp works its way into any case eventually, and UV fades a printed face and hardens seals.
A porch, an overhang, a covered patio or a north or east aspect will add years to the life of the clock. If the only available spot is exposed, expect to treat it as a replaceable item rather than a permanent fitting.
Specialist wall clocks
The FCC cast brass bulkhead tide clock is not a timepiece in the usual sense. It runs on the 12 hour 25 minute lunar tidal cycle and indicates the state of the tide rather than the time, in a marine-quality brass casting at 20.5cm. It is bought by people who actually use the tide — sailors, sea anglers, coastal walkers — and it makes a substantial gift.
The TFA splashproof bathroom and kitchen clock covers the other specialist case: a clock that will tolerate steam and splashes, with a timer and temperature display for a bathroom, wet room or kitchen.
Related ranges
See the complete clock range for bedside, projection and desk clocks, weather clocks for forecast displays with outdoor sensors, and projection clocks for models that project the time onto a ceiling. For a present, see weather gifts and gadget gifts.