Jeff Bezos, who has been the guiding force behind Amazon for many years now, including its increasing success, has always been a man of vision even when it comes to grandfather clocks. While we have proudly sold Howard Miller Grandfather and Grandmother Clocks, along with Hermle Grandfather Clocks and Ridgeway Floor and Grandfather Clocks, our top price point always peaked out at around US$18,000 for our most expensive individual grandfather clock – in this case this model:
Limited Edition Tubular Chime Grandfather Clock - Most Expensive Grandfather Clock made by Howard Miller Clocks
Howard Miller Limited Edition J H Miller II 611031 611-031 Tubular Chime, discounted to around $18,000
Little did we know what the market could bear for the price of a grandfather clock! Jeff Bezos has designed and it in the process of building a grandfather clock that will be both a giant physically, as well as lasting for at least 10,000 years. For the record, we expect most grandfather clocks we sell, with proper maintenance, to last at least 100-200 plus years. Perhaps we should consider throwing in a 10,000 Year Warranty as well.
This clock, and this was reported in the Wall Street Journal and many other well established and respected organization, will be designed to chime every year. Mr. Bezos refers to this project and clock, reportedly, as “The 10,000 Year Clock”. He is planning to built it within the side of a mountain on his property, presumably for safekeeping if not for acoustic effect and weather risks as well.
This grandfather clock will have a daily chime that is being specially choreographed by a well-known musician named Brian Eno, and it appears it may chime as frequently as every hour, according to our sources. Especially worthy of note though, is that the cuckoo clock sounding chime, at least as it is now envisioned, is also planning a unique chime sequence for every year and decade and century and millennium and beyond.
The clock will also be open to the public for visits and tours. Jeff Bezos is saying he views this investment as an example of the importance of recognizing that we are all in this world together for the long haul. Perhaps he put it a bit more eloquently in stating, specifically “The reason I’m doing it is that it is a symbol of long-term thinking, and the idea of long-term responsibility,” who has spent at least $42 million on the timekeeper. “We humans have become so technologically sophisticated that in certain ways we’re dangerous to ourselves. It’s going to be increasingly important over time for humanity to take a longer-term view of its future.”
In the meantime, 1-800-4CLOCKS.com would be delighted to be the exclusive distributor and dealer with and for others who might be desirous of having one of these same clocks for themselves. Mr. Bezos, we promise we will list it for sale on Amazon.com, hopefully with your endorsement.