Kit Cat clocks UK are very famous novelty clocks influenced by
the Art deco period. They are typically designed to have eyes moving in track with the pendulum accompanied by a smiling cat design. Occasionally the cat tail moves along with the pendulum too. Usually Kit Cat clocks consist of white and black colours but over time other colours and customizations of the classic style have happened. Kit Cat Clocks started to be created in the 1930’s. They are sometimes seen nowadays as fashion items on walls in music videos and TV shows.



In 1932, during the great depression, Kit Cat clocks were first
created in a small Oregon town by a guy named Earl Arnault (1904-1971). The
clocks were entertaining and unusual because of their rolling eye’s, wagging
tail and contented smile. A following for these types of clock soon established.




Mass manufacturing of Kit Cat clocks started in Portland Oregon
by the Allied clock company. The first Kit Cat designs to become produced were
welded together utilizing metal, but in the future they would use the popular
and much less expensive plastic. The Allied Clock Organization then proceeded to
move to Seattle, Washington; and then onto Southern California in 1962. In due
course the business renamed into the California Clock Company.




The clocks style has evolved little through the years. The
  initial generation of Kit Kat wall clocks in the 1930, 1940, & 1950’s
  tended to possess two paws, whilst more modern designs tended to possess four
  paws plus a dickie bow tie. With these variations the clock grew to become a
  famous icon by the end of the 1950’s. The brand of ‘Kit Cat’ wall clocks as we
  know them currently was put into the clock face during the 1980’s.




Around 1982 the California Clock Company changed possession to
entrepreneur Woody Young who took over as director and owner. He was handed
  liability to keep the business moving from strength to strength into the 21st
  century.



To begin with the clock would've been run by AC mains, but as
with lots of clocks throughout the 1980’s they became operated by electric
  batteries. However the power apparatus nearly proved its downfall during the
  late 1980’s. The American motor unit industry had been moved to Asia and Kit
  Cat lost their service provider of a battery formidable enough to generate the
  mechanism. Their motor was uncommon since it powered the clock and moving
  parts. It left the company no alternate but to create their own new battery
  technology.



Through the 90’s Kit Cat developed new creative styles. For
  example Limited Colour Versions, ¾ size Kitty Cats and in 2001 the very first
  Lady kit Cat was created. It included eye lashes and pearl jewellery as opposed
  to a bow tie.



An intriguing fact is the producer guesses that this model of
wall clock is sold once every three minutes during the last 50 years which
  indicates how popular they are. The ‘Kit cat’ signature has been patented
  through the California Clock
Corporation.



As mentioned previously the wall timepiece has long been
  showcased in many films and pop videos, these include - Back to the Future, The
  Simpsons and a Taylor Swift Video.



In 2012 Kit Cat celebrated its 80th anniversary. 50 years making
timepieces in California and 30 years with their president Woody Young. Kit cat
timepieces are showing they are very popular as ever with clocks being sold in
retailers everywhere around the world.

Have you ever heard of Salvador Dali Clocks? Perhaps the most
famous clockwork art work in history could be the clocks by Salvador Dali. His
melting clocks have established a huge variety of clocks.

His eye-catching clocks has been utilized in a great many art
work designs, but his surreal masterpieces which look like clocks melting or
distorted were first brought to life by Dali, capturing the world’s imagination. 
 

Dali was born in Spain in 1904 in an area known as Figueres,
Spain. Dali’s very early work was predominantly charcoal sketches influenced by
the painter Ramon Pichot. Overtime Dali started to get a lot of attention after
adopting a style which he coined Cubism. During his time at Art academy he was
expelled as he thought his tutors weren't good enough to judge his work. 

Just about everything about Dali was creative including his
image. Dali donned a handlebar moustache which he often modelled in different
ways. There's even a renowned photograph of flowers attached to the end of his
moustache. 

Dali was influenced by several things such as the famous artists
Picasso and Raphael. As his very own style evolved he became well-known for his
surreal illustrations. His use of clocks as part of his paintings has influenced
clock designers to produce melting clocks which may be placed on shelves
drooping downwards. They are popular and bought from many retailers. 

The Salvador Dali melting clock originates from The Persistence
of Memory (novel). The melting clock is in the painting by Salvador Dali and is
one of his most well-known pieces. It was painted in 1931. The painting was
first shown inside the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932. Since 1934 the art work has
been shown inside the museum of Modern Art in New York, where it’s one of the
most popular exhibits.

The picture depicts a soft melting pocket watch. The melting
watch is said to reflect Dali’s theory of ‘hardness’ and ‘softness’ this was
part of his thinking at that time in his career. It was considered at the time
that Dali’s motivation originated from Albert Einstein’s theory of Relativity.
However when Salvador Dali was asked about this, Dali declared that in fact the
soft watches or clocks were not influenced by Einstein’s theory but by the
surrealist vision of ‘Camembert cheese melting in the
sun.’
 
It is known that the human figure in the centre of the art work
is in fact Dali himself. The abstract nature of the painting became something of
a self-portrait. He often did this on his other works. The orange decorated
clock in the bottom left-hand corner has ants on it. Dali painted ants to
symbolise death in his paintings. 

The figure in the heart of the painting symbolizes a‘fading’
creature. This is thought to demonstrate that in dreams, the dreamer can’t
generally recognize the makeup or form of an animal. The animal in the artwork
has lots of eyelashes and one closed eye possibly showing the animal is also
within a dream state. The painting might be interpreting Dali’s dreams where the
timepieces show the passing of time as one experiences it during sleep, or how
dreams may feel to us.

The spectacular rocks on the right hand side of the art work is
based on the end of Cap de Creus peninsula in the north of Catalonia. In a great
many other of his works you will notice inspiration from Catalonia landscapes
which influenced him. The dark shadow in the background of the painting is
reference to Mount Pani.

In 1954 Dali came back to his well-known painting the Persistence of Memory with the Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory. This revealed
his earlier popular painting breaking down into fragments, and a variety of
rectangular shapes with gaps between and more melting clocks.

One intriguing timepiece he produced was the ‘Clock B Giclee’
since it was quite different from his other clock pieces. The clock looks very
different from an average clock with no hands and numbers. This clock dangles
from a barren tree (which he often used) along with a multi coloured clock. You
have to look closely to identify that it is a clock hanging from the branch.




Dali later in his career made sculptures showing melting watches
and clocks. ‘Horse Saddled with Time’ is a good example of this because of the
clock face draped over the back of the horse instead of a saddle. The sculpture
is recognized as one of his best sculptures and valued very highly.‘Danse Du
Temp’ is another fine illustration of his sculptures. The clock is stretched and
deformed using black and gold shades.


As with all his work, the clocks he styles are thin expressing
time is sliding away in Dali’s world. In Dali’s perspective the clocks are
falling down showing they're like dreams as they are easily forgotten and
difficult to see clearly. The clocks and animals seem to be breaking up or dying
implying time passes on and slips away.


The ‘Horse saddled with Time’ sculpture shows time being a
  burden, with the animal quickly taking the burden away. Similarly dead plants
  and twigs can often be seen in Dali work. This is thought to reflect how time
  can appear to drain living things of energy. However it is really down to the
  person how they experience his art and what meaning they conclude from it.



Currently two museums have been created to honour his life and
work. One museum is found in his hometown of Figueres, Spain. The other is in St
Petersburg, Florida. At the museums you can view his photography and films he
made.


If you wish to know more about the person then I highly recommend
you read his autobiography. Dali was certainly not boring so his autobiography
is certainly interesting. If you’re enthusiastic about his work you can easily
acquire prints of his work at affordable prices. Some of his authentic pieces of
work now sell for thousands of pounds.


Maybe purposely Dali created a whole genre of clock designs
driven by his works. Salvador Dali inspired clocks are as popular today as ever.