Ideal Wall Clocks

Corpus Clock

The clock's face is a rippling 24-carat gold-plated stainless steel disc, about 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. This clock sits in a wall and can be found in Cambridge and was unveiled by Stephen Hawkins.

It has no hands or numbers, but displays the time by opening individual slits in the clock face backlit with blue LEDs; these slits are arranged in three concentric rings displaying hours, minutes, and seconds.

The dominating visual feature of the clock is a sculpture of a grim-looking, devouring, metal insect similar to a grasshopper or locust. The sculpture is actually the clock's escapement . The maker of the clock calls this beast the Chronophage (literally "time eater", from the Greek χρόνος [chronos] time, and φάγω [phago] I eat). It moves its mouth, appearing to "eat up" the seconds as they pass, and occasionally it "blinks" in seeming satisfaction. The creature's constant motion produces an eerie grinding sound that suits its task. The hour is tolled by the sound of a chain clanking into a small wooden coffin hidden in the back of the clock.

The Corpus Clock took over 5 year and over £1 Million to make. The clockwork incorporates six new patented inventions, The rippling gold-plated dial was made by Explosive forming - using an explosive charge to press a thin sheet of stainless steel onto a mould underwater at a "secret military research institute in Holland.