In the first half of the 1700s, wealthy Americans began to purchase tall case clocks that marked hours and minutes. At extra cost, they could add a hand that marked seconds as well as dials that noted the calendar and moon phase. Among the most complex and expensive clocks were those that chimed popular tunes. Designed to entertain and delight while organizing the rhythm of daily life, clocks signified an owner's status and social standing.

Beauty, whether measured in the ornamentation of cases and decorated dials or in the mathematical perfection of interlocking wheel and pinion teeth, was a highly valued aspect of clockmaking. In the second half of the 1700s, concepts of beauty and economy merged with the introduction of smaller, more affordable timekeeping devices that eventually put the tall clock out of fashion. Clockmakers rapidly incorporated evolving mechanical ingenuity, miniaturization, and factory production to bring American shelf and wall clocks to the world. This exhibition offers a selection of such clocks from the Winterthur collection.