here's just something about a clock face that fascinates artists, or some artists, anyhow.

It's deceptively simple. A clock's face is nothing but some basic shapes and symbols that we need to grasp just by glancing at it - and like most simple things, it can be difficult to design well.

So on the one hand, it's a challenge.

On the other hand, like anything that we have expectations about, an artist can have a lot of fun by breaking those expectations. Like, say, designing a clock with thirteen hours. Or spacing the hours around the clock exactly in reverse. Or doing away with the numbers entirely, since we're so well conditioned to know where they are.

A timepiece is a simple canvas, but precisely because it's blank it can be approached in any way at all.

Here at Time Machines we've looked at a lot of clocks. More clocks than you'd want to imagine. More clocks than we'd want to imagine. We've looked at what many, many artists have decided to put on that blank canvas of a clock face.

What we've liked, we've liked for all sorts of reasons. And when we've liked them, we've gathered them together here because we think that you'll like them, too. Oh, not all of them - because everyone's preference is different. That's why we've chosen hundreds of clocks that have been designed by our selected artists. They've had a blast creating them; we've had a blast finding them; and we think you too will find something in here that you'd be willing to give the time of day.