SY919 Cog Clock: a 59cm dial with moving gears, and where to hang it

The SY919 is one of the bigger dials in the clock range, at ∅59cm, though it is not the biggest: the SG02, SG03 and SG04 are all listed larger. It is a black face with polished silver detail and an internal cog decoration, and the listing is specific about those cogs: the gears move independently, powered by their own mechanical system. So it is a clock that does something while you are not reading the time off it. The photographs and the full listing are on the SY919 cog clock page.

59cm against the other SY round dials

Diameter is the only size figure these four give, so for this group it is the only honest way to compare. Other clocks in the category are listed as a width and a height instead, and the gold-framed SG clocks are listed larger again, so treat this as one family rather than the whole range.

That 59cm is a genuine statement piece rather than a kitchen clock, and it needs the wall to match. A dial this size wants about 20cm of clear wall all round, so think of it as occupying a metre of wall, not 59cm. Over a sofa or a sideboard, aim for furniture of roughly 150cm and up, and centre the dial a little above standing eye level.

The cogs, and what the listing actually claims

Read this part carefully, because it is the reason to buy the clock and it is also where guesswork creeps in. The listing says the internal cog decoration is both visual interest and functional mechanism, that the gears move independently, and that they are powered by their own mechanical system. In other words the cogs turn, and they are not simply geared off the hands.

What the listing does not say is how that system is powered, whether it shares a battery with the movement or takes its own, or whether it makes any noise while it runs. For a hallway or a living room none of that matters much. For a bedroom or a home office, a mechanism that whirrs quietly all day is worth asking about first, so ask us and we will put the question to the supplier.

A black and silver dial, and the wall behind it

Black reads as a hole in a pale wall, which is usually the effect you want from a focal point. Three practical notes:

• On a dark wall a black dial loses its outline and the polished silver detail does all the work. Worth seeing the photographs against your own wall colour before committing.
• Against the light polished silver on black can be hard to read when a window is behind you. Stand where you will normally read the time and judge the angle.
• Fixing. The listing gives no weight and no fixing detail. A ∅59cm clock is not a small object, so confirm with us what the back takes and what wall build it suits before you buy a hook.

What the listing does not state

Named plainly, because the gaps are the same across this range: no movement type, no battery size, no weight, no depth from the wall, no fixing detail, and no statement of what the face and the frame are made from beyond the colours and finishes described. We would rather tell you the listing is silent than fill it in with something plausible. Ask us and we will check.

What it compares with

If you like the cogs but 59cm is too much wall, the SY922 is the same idea at ∅46cm with a printed map face. If you want the industrial look without the moving parts, the SY920 Wall Clock and the SY921 Wall Clock are both ∅54cm with hollowed-out faces, the difference being the numerals. The full range is in Clocks.

Before you order

• Tape a 59cm circle on the wall and stand back across the room.
• Allow about 20cm of clear wall all round before you call the space big enough.
• Ask us about the cog mechanism, any noise it makes, and the fixing.
• Ask for the current lead time at the same time.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Once you have the wall marked out, order the SY919 cog clock, or tell us the wall width and we will say whether 59cm or the smaller map face suits it better.