| Posted September 23, 2010 |
The high-end market leader in the grandfather clock market segment is thought to be dominated, we believe, by Howard Miller Grandfather Clocks. Two better kept secrets, but still well-established and well-known, are the Ridgeway Grandfather Clock Collection, and the Hermle Floor Clocks Collection.
All 3 brands feature German mechanical 8 Day movements, either cable driven grandfather clocks or chain-driven grandfather clocks. The quality of the three brands, in our opinion, is highly comparable when comparing like grandfather clocks. In fact, Howard Miller Clocks, before it purchased the Kieninger Clock company, used Hermle movements in the vast majority of its mechanical grandfather clocks. At that time, Kieninger was Hermle’s much smaller German competitor. Today we are not sure.
Also making grandfather clock comparisons more vexing, is all the vertical integration and consolidation that has taken place in the grandfather clock industry. Ridgeway Clocks was purchased by Howard Miller Clocks approximately 10 years ago, and in more recent years, no doubt at Howard miller’s instruction, started using Kieninger movements instead of the Hermle movements that they had used with much greater frequency over time. Nowadays, Ridgeway Clocks and Wall Clocks and Mantle Clocks are distinct products and designs, but because Ridgeway Clocks is part of Howard Miller Clocks, all of the clocks and movements are made in the same place and by the same companies for like clocks. In that the Ridgeway name is such a stellar name in the grandfather clocks industry particularly, it made sense to keep it as part of, or really like a Division of, Howard Miller Clocks.
Are you confused yet? Or has this helped straighten everything out. We would like to know this time and every time.
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