Tempus fugit: the motto on the clock
Two Latin words painted above many clock dials. Here is what they mean, where they come from, and what they can and cannot tell you about your clock.
What tempus fugit means
Tempus fugit is Latin for time flees, which in English is usually said as time flies. On a clock it is a gentle reminder that the hours are passing, painted where you see it every time you check the time.
Edina Clock, a Minnesota clock repair shop, explains the meaning to customers who find the words above the dial of their grandfather clock.
Where the words come from
The phrase comes from the Roman poet Virgil. In his poem the Georgics, Book III, line 284, he wrote sed fugit interea, fugit irreparabile tempus: but meanwhile it flees, time flees beyond recovery. The website Antiquitatem, which studies classical Latin, traces the phrase to that line. Edina Clock dates the poem to between 37 and 29 BC.
Latin mottoes about time were a long tradition on sundials. Antiquitatem says the custom carried on from the Renaissance to pendulum clock dials and even wristwatches. Related mottoes include carpe diem, seize the day, from Horace.
Tempus fugit grandfather and grandmother clocks
People search for tempus fugit grandfather clocks and grandmother clocks as if they were a model, but the phrase is not a brand. Premier Clocks, a clock retailer, describes a tempus fugit clock simply as a tall case clock with the motto above or on the dial, most often on arched-top models, and stresses that no maker owns the phrase.
The same retailer lists German makers using the motto by the mid-1920s, including Gustav Becker, Kienzle and Mauthe, and says it became especially popular from the 1970s, when many makers copied older designs and printed the words on their dials.
See also: choosing and caring for a grandfather clock on OnlineClock.app.
What the motto tells you, and what it does not
Because so many makers used it, tempus fugit on a dial does not prove a clock is old or valuable. Premier Clocks warns that clocks showing the motto but no maker's name are often inexpensive modern copies, and that the words have sometimes been added to make a clock look more desirable.
To identify a tempus fugit clock, look past the motto. Check the dial and movement for a maker's name and model numbers, note how the clock is wound, and compare the case style. A grandfather clock with tempus fugit and a known maker's name, such as Ridgeway or Howard Miller, is identified by that maker, not by the motto.
Questions people ask
What does tempus fugit mean on a clock?
It is Latin for time flees, usually translated as time flies. It is a motto, painted on the dial as a reminder that time passes.
Is a tempus fugit clock valuable?
Not because of the motto. Many makers used it, including on inexpensive modern clocks. Value depends on the maker, age, condition and originality.
Who made tempus fugit grandfather clocks?
Many companies. A retailer lists German makers such as Gustav Becker and Kienzle using it by the 1920s, and it became common on American and German clocks from the 1970s.
Keep exploring
Sources
- What does tempus fugit mean on my clock dial?, Edina Clock
- Tempus fugit, Antiquitatem
- Tempus fugit grandfather clock, Premier Clocks
More clock guides
How to identify an antique clock and judge its value · Clock hands and numbers · Clock movements explained · Grandfather clock weights, winding and care · Why clocks use IIII instead of IV · How to date a watch by its serial number · The Westminster chime · all guides