Architectural Clocks

Have you ever seen a beautiful tower clock, an elegant cupola clock or a colorful floral or neon clock and wanted to incorporate something similar into your future designs? Architectural clocks like these make an incredible addition to many construction and design projects. Their tremendous aesthetic appeal and functional timekeeping make them decorative, practical and highly appealing to passersby.

When you're designing and building these clocks structures, you'll need assurances that they'll work just as beautifully as they look. Fortunately, with the aid of architectural clock controllers and movements, you can ensure your clocks have the precision, dependability and longevity to provide superior timekeeping for years.

Custom Architectural Clocks

At National Time & Signal, America’s oldest name in large outdoor clocks, we bring technology, craftsmanship and rugged construction together to withstand the rigors of nature and the test of time!

Architects, urban designers and civil engineers often turn to custom architectural clocks for their elegance and striking visual appeal. Architectural clocks such as tower clocks lend grandeur to the landscape, and garden clocks add a whimsical touch of color and fun to a garden or town square. These unique constructions also help people keep track of the time and arrive punctually at their destinations.

The design of architectural clocks requires dependable internal mechanisms that keep maintenance costs low, reduce wear and tear and provide accurate timekeeping. That's where National Time & Signal comes in. We design and manufacture custom architectural clock mechanisms you can depend on for precise timekeeping, fluid motion, excellent weather resistance, low maintenance needs and overall superior value for the long term.

To see some of our clocks in the real world, check out our photo galleries. You can see various types of architectural clocks that contain our large clock movements and controllers:

Why Choose National Time & Signal?

With a better design, our clocks beat the competition. National Time & Signal is the top name in quality outdoor clocks. We have made stadium clocks, tower clocks and sign clocks with the finest materials for 100 years. Our clock movement construction is second to none, and our engineers are the best in the industry. No other manufacturers have the experience and expertise to engineer and produce clockworks that measure up!

When you work with us, you'll gain a range of benefits that outshine the competition:

  • Low maintenance: Working with National Time & Signal means you'll save time and money by reducing your maintenance needs. The gearboxes and gear types we use provide extra protection from environmental and operational stresses, and our self-lubricating mechanisms provide consistent oiling to minimize friction and damage. These features add up to less wear and tear on the clock movement and fewer maintenance costs for the building. You'll delight facility owners and managers if you can show them how your design choices save them money by reducing maintenance needs.
  • Long-lasting products: Clock mechanisms from National Time & Signal have incredible durability and longevity. Because our sturdy gearboxes and gear trains contain lubricants and resist damage, they wear down more gradually than competitor products. They will provide the same smooth, precise, reliable timekeeping for many years without requiring replacement.
  • Protection from the elements: Our movements and controllers have proven in the field that they can withstand the worst of nature's fury. The particular design of our gearboxes and gear trains gives our clocks the structural integrity they need to resist weather-related forces like wind shear, even in gale-force winds.
  • The lowest life cycle cost in the industry: We combine superior materials, design and technology to deliver products still found in service after a half-century. Per year of use, the costs of designing and installing clock controllers and movements from National Time & Signal work out to be extremely competitive.
  • Outstanding legacy support: We have supported many of our products for decades. When your clock eventually needs service or a part replacement, our team of friendly, courteous, knowledgeable pros is here to help keep it running.

Key Features of Our Architectural Clocks

National Time & Signal is dedicated to providing advanced features and services for our architectural clocks:

  • Advanced technology: We design and manufacture our clock systems to take advantage of today's advanced technology. We incorporate complete gearboxes and unique worm gears to give you the best performance possible from your architectural clock. We also use computer numerical control (CNC) as needed in our machining processes to provide you with the best in precision manufacturing and functional design.
  • Factory assembly and testing: When we deliver our control systems, they are ready for service. We test them thoroughly before they leave our facility to ensure their superior function, and we ship them to you pre-assembled so you can add them into your designs right away.
  • Custom engineered solutions: Our engineering team has extensive experience in design, manufacturing, installation and service. We are uniquely positioned to provide innovative solutions that leverage untapped potential.
  • Internet time: LAN/WAN/GPS-controlled clock systems, which include our exterior clocks, deliver the most precise time in the world.
  • Custom design: Your exterior clocks can be designed to complement your architectural vision.
  • Unparalleled product durability: We manufacture the highest quality clocks in the industry. Our cast aluminum gear housing and worm gear output drive are designed to withstand nature's forces — even Hurricane Katrina and the tornadoes that touched down in downtown Atlanta in 2008 could not stop our clocks!
  • Lowest maintenance costs: We provide the only maintenance-free, self-lubricating outdoor clock system on the market. It has been proven to save time, labor and cost.

Maintenance-Free, Durable Design

Let's talk a little more about the unparalleled low maintenance and rugged dependability of our clock movements and controllers. We incorporate several unique features into our clocks to make them durable and virtually maintenance-free.

1. Unique Gearbox Design

Our innovative gearbox design provides superior performance in high winds and protects the internal clock mechanisms against wind shear. How does it offer these unique advantages?

In many clocks, the gearbox is not a box at all. Instead, it consists of two parallel plates holding the gears between them. This construction saves material by providing support on only two sides. However, it does not offer nearly as much support and protection as a gearbox enclosed on five or all six sides. The parallel plates shift under stress, causing misalignment and premature wear and tear on the gears, shafts and bearings. Our complete gearboxes surround the gears to insulate them from stresses and help them last longer.

2. Worm Gear Output

Our innovative worm gears protect the drive train and motor. They prevent external forces, such as those from wind shear, from sweeping through the internal mechanisms of the clock and causing damage.

Many clock movements use only spur gears. Spur gears are likely the gears you think of when you picture a classic gear train: circular wheels with interlocking teeth that fit together as the wheels turn. Spur gears are simple and easy to use, but they can easily transmit heavy impacts down the gear train as they all turn in one direction.

Worm gears, on the other hand, use a worm and a worm wheel instead of spur gears. The worm is a gear in the shape of a screw, and it fits together with a toothed worm wheel. This arrangement transfers motion and impact at 90 degrees, so it can disperse harmful forces instead of sending them along the gear train, causing extensive wear and damage.

3. Maintenance-Free Oil Reservoir

At National Time & Signal, we use a transmission-like housing rather than an open-frame housing in our movements. The advantage of the transmission-like housing is that it contains an oil reservoir, making the gear train essentially self-lubricating.

These maintenance-free oil reservoirs ensure constant lubrication and a long life span for the clock. The lubrication reduces friction and wear and tear, allowing the movement to last longer. It also minimizes the time and money spent on maintenance.

Oil reservoir available on most models. Consult factory for details.

4. Precision CNC Machining

Our CNC machining center ensures precision and quality throughout our product line.

With the aid of the computer programs involved in CNC machining, we can ensure repeatably precise dimensions for every clock component we make. The precision ensures that our parts fit together perfectly and have the exact dimensions they need to fit into your custom clock and keep it running on time.

Celebrating 100 Years of Quality Clocks

To gain precision craftsmanship and dependable installation and service when you add architectural clocks to your buildings, partner with National Time & Signal. With 100 years of experience in providing quality clock products for architectural applications, we are happy to help you meet your design challenges with long-lasting, accurate clock mechanisms. Whether you work with us on a custom tower clock or any other style of architectural timepiece, you'll create a memorable landmark that can help improve your reputation with its durability, longevity and reliable timekeeping.

Request a free quote today, or contact us to consult about a custom architectural clock.