Wooden Moss Wall Clocks

In our wooden moss wall clocks the timber leads. A solid disc of oak, maple or walnut forms the face, and preserved greenery is set into it as an inlay or a band rather than covering the whole surface.

The distinction between a wooden moss wall clock and our greenery-covered clocks is straightforward: those are plant panels that tell the time, these are wooden clocks with a natural inlay. Different objects for different rooms.

The Timber in Our Clocks

Every wooden wall clock with moss uses solid timber, finished with oil rather than lacquer so the grain stays visible and the surface keeps some texture. Lacquer would be more durable and would make the wood look like a photograph of wood.

How Moss Is Set Into the Wood

There are three ways we set moss into a wooden wall clock, and they suit different rooms.

An inlaid band runs around the outer edge of the face, leaving the centre as clean timber. This is the most restrained version and the one that reads as a clock first.

A recessed section puts greenery into a cut-out — a segment, a circle off-centre, or a shape following the grain. More graphic, and it works well on wider faces where a thin band would be lost.

A live edge fill follows a natural crack or void in the timber, packing it with preserved material. This is the version people react to most, because the greenery looks like it grew into the flaw rather than being placed there. It only works on wood that has the right defect, so these pieces are one-offs by nature.

Wood and Moisture

Worth stating clearly, since it affects where these clocks should hang.

A wooden wall clock moves with humidity — it takes on moisture in a damp room and gives it up in a dry one, expanding and contracting slightly as it does. Over years, extreme swings open small cracks along the grain. This is normal behaviour in solid wood rather than a fault, and it is why a wooden clock in a steamy unventilated bathroom is a poor idea while the same clock in a hallway will be fine for decades.

Dry heat causes the opposite problem. A clock directly above a radiator gets dried out over a heating season, which is the commonest cause of checking in the timber. Hang it on a different wall.

The Silent Movement

Every wooden moss wall clock uses silent sweep quartz and one AA battery, roughly a year per battery. The second hand glides rather than stepping, so there is no tick — which matters most in bedrooms and small rooms where a conventional movement becomes the loudest thing present at night.

Hands are matched to the timber. Dark hands on pale maple and pale hands on walnut both read clearly; matching hands to the wood tone makes a clock that looks handsome and cannot be read from the sofa.

Where a Wooden Wall Clock With Moss Suits Best

• Rooms with existing wood — floors, furniture, beams. This is the whole reason to choose timber over greenery.
• Hallways and living rooms — stable humidity, no direct heat.
• Studies and offices — reads as an object of quality rather than as decoration.
• Cabins and rustic interiors — burnt wood slices especially.
• As a gift — wooden clocks are traditional for housewarmings and anniversaries, and these are more distinctive than the standard version.

Wooden Clock Care

The greenery: nothing, and 7 to 10 years indoors.

The wooden clock body needs only a dry cloth occasionally. Do not oil or wax the clock once assembled — the product wicks along the grain into the plant material and stains it permanently. If the wood ever looks dry after many years, ask us rather than reaching for furniture polish.

Keep it out of direct sun, away from radiators, and out of steamy rooms. When changing the battery, lay it face-down on a soft surface.

Related Collections

For clocks where greenery covers the whole face, see moss wall clocks. For wood cast with coloured resin, epoxy resin wall clocks. The full range is under wall clocks with moss and wood.