Howard Miller Clock Company was founded and lead by J.D. De Pree, the founder of Herman Miller Furniture, in 1927 as Herman Miller Clocks. When he turned it over to his brother-in-law Howard—who was a clock maker there from the start—in 1937, the companies were leading the way to design history. When De Pree hired George Nelson as Creative Directory, his studio also did work with Howard Miller. During the 15 year relationship over 150 clocks were designed by George Nelson Associates for Howard Miller, many by the preeminent Irving Harper. Iconic pieces including the Eye Clock and the Sunflower Clock defined a design era.

Like it’s brother-in-law company, Howard Miller dropped production of it’s now highly coveted designs, leaving room for Vitra to carry the mantel and reap the rewards. Unlike Herman, however, Howard have not continued a tradition of innovation nor have they tried to reclaim or protect their originals. In fact, the lone visage of their historic work is a black and nickel ‘adaptation’ of the ball clock. One color way, filed under ‘retro’, and sorted in the online catalog between a blue neon clock and an embellished wood piece.

The latest creative direction, with Ty Pennington, shows a keen interest in relevancy but not in design leadership. We would love to see a homecoming and a rekindling of the vision that began Howard Miller. One line cherry picking the best and most obscure of the mid-century heyday; timeless pieces such as the Bubble Clock, Clocknick, and the Asterisk clocks. Another line that finds emerging great talents on the global stage and invites them to create work exclusive to Howard Miller.

Our thanks to the talented Matte Stephens for providing the images of vintage Howard Miller ephemera. His interview and visit with Irving Harper are as inspirational as they are informative.