Time's Up: The Best Desk and Wall Clocks

Christian Marclay's The Clock has a simple but astounding premise: a 24-hour film which tells time through glimpses of clocks, watches and various pieces of horology.

First shown in 2010 and displayed earlier this year at Tate Modern, the film is a meditation on the passage of time: how it dictates and dominates our lives, and the modern quest to find more of what is perhaps the most finite resource.

On a more superficial level, the installation also serves as a tribute to timepieces in all their forms. In an age in which every personal device and household appliance tells the time, it's easy to think of watches and clocks as irrelevant, obsolete objects, on par with the VHS player.

But a wall or desk clock is much more than a simple way of telling the time. The simplicity of having one object to measure your day can rescue you from the distraction that comes with picking up your phone or asking Alexa for a time-check. The best clocks will also imbue your home with a sense of character, be that innovative minimalism or sculptural modernism.

Here, we choose eight of the best design-led wall and desk clocks for the home.

Proof that minimalism needn't always mean monochrome.

A time-honoured mid-century design with an industrial edge.

A Swiss-made quartz movement with the famed red second-hand.

A big-bellied design for creative workspaces.