Let’s wind it back with retro clocks and novelty clocks

I know I’ve talked plenty about antique clocks, and new stuff as well. I thought it was time to look at what’s in between. Lets talk retro clocks! By retro we usually mean anything falling into the  decades from the late 1940’s to the early 80’s.
Why is this era so popular? To many people, especially us Americans those years symbolized rebirth, the climb out of the depression, everyone had opportunity.
The golden years.
The good old years!
So it really isn’t surprising that we let ourselves get a bit nostalgic, especially about items that were in everyday use or  popular during that time, or just remind of how life was less complicated.
Lets just take a second to describe what we find in “retro” clocks and what makes them special.
One big feature is the use of what was then modern materials. We all know Bakelite (the hard shiny plastic, quite brittle – be careful), fake wood veneer (that brown plastic stuff) and chromed or bronzed metal.
The use of these materials is not always beautiful on first glimpse, but what you have to understand is that these items were pushing the boundary when they were made. Form followed function, and these were a huge step away from traditional dark wooden monsters that dominated into the twentieth century.
Not everything was brown and pinstripes – probably more sought after are the nostalgic retro clocks from the 50’s and 60’s, often large wall clocks featuring portraits of music and film icons. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Betty Page make appearances, smiling and posing for the good years. Hot rods – Ford GTs and the real muscle cars made it to the clock faces too, in soft art style.
These retro wall clocks are fantastic for the Americana collector, just think how it would look in a diner setting. Think also neon, we’re talking 60-70’s now, milk bar style, and check out some of these funky pics!
There are heaps of very cool old clocks in great condition out there, and some can be had for bargains. Unlike antiques, there isn’t much to go wrong with this gear since its all electric.
Get in the mood! Now where did we stash those 45’s…

Thanks to MerlSpiers at Flikr for this cool retro clock pic.

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