SY921 Wall Clock: Roman numerals on a 54cm open dial

The SY921 is the Roman numeral one. It is a ∅54cm round clock with the numerals framing a hollowed-out face, so the wall shows through the middle instead of a solid disc. The numerals are therefore doing two jobs at once, telling the time and holding the outline together. The photographs and the full listing are on the SY921 Wall Clock page.

The figures, exactly as listed

That is the whole dimensional listing: one diameter, no depth. For planning, allow 15 to 20cm of clear wall all round a ∅54cm dial, which puts the real space it occupies nearer 90cm. Above a sideboard, a console or a sofa, furniture of roughly 140cm and up holds the proportion. No projection from the wall is given, so if it is going into a hallway or a narrow landing where people pass close to it, ask us for that figure before you fix it.

Roman numerals and reading the time across a room

Roman numerals are a legibility decision as much as a style one, and it is worth being honest about the trade.

• They take more ring. VIII and XII are wider than 8 and 12, so the numerals occupy more of the dial and leave a smaller open centre. That is why this clock reads busier than a plain-numeral face of the same diameter.
• They read slower at distance. Most people recognise the position of a Roman numeral rather than reading it, which is fine on a familiar clock in your own hallway and less good in a room you walk through rarely.
• They suit a traditional room. Against panelling, a cornice or dark joinery, Roman numerals look settled in a way a digital-style number does not.
• Numeral colour is not stated. The listing describes the numerals but not their finish, so check the photographs and confirm with us if the tone has to match other metal in the room.

The wall behind it is part of the clock

With the face hollowed out, the wall is the background to the numerals. A pale, plain wall gives the most contrast and the clearest read. A dark wall keeps the silhouette but makes the numerals work harder. Patterned paper or slat panelling runs straight through the open centre and competes with the Roman numerals, which are already the busiest part of the design. If your wall falls into the second or third group, hold the clock up against it before you drill, or send us a photograph and we will give you an honest view.

SY921, SY920 and the cog clocks

The SY920 Wall Clock is the same ∅54cm with the same hollowed-out face. Its listing mentions numerals but does not say what style they are, so the SY921 is the only one of the two the listing commits to as Roman. If the numeral style is what you are choosing on, compare the photographs and ask us before you order rather than assuming the two differ. If you would rather the clock had moving parts, the SY919 is ∅59cm with internal cogs the listing says run on their own mechanism, and the SY922 does the same at ∅46cm over a printed map face. All of them are in Clocks.

What the listing does not state

None of this appears on the listing, so take none of it as given: movement type, battery size, whether the second hand ticks or sweeps quietly, weight, depth from the wall, the fixing on the back, and what the frame and numerals are made from. The description uses the words industrial and precise, which describe a look, not a material. Ask us and we will check with the supplier rather than publish an assumption.

Before you order

• Tape a 54cm circle on the wall and read it from where you usually stand.
• Judge the numerals from the photographs, on legibility and not only on looks.
• Check the wall colour and any pattern behind the open centre.
• Ask us about the fixing, the depth and the current lead time together.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Once you have looked at it on the wall, order the SY921 Wall Clock, or tell us the room and the wall colour and we will say which of the two faces will read better.