George Nelson Butterfly clock  

Photo
I accidentally came across a partial photo of Vitra's version. Its planned release was the reason for my question in the first place. Now I know what the Butterfly looks like. Below is one of the very few photos of an original clock I've managed to find so far. Does anyone know if Vitra has announced other models for release this spring? Their website doesn't even mention the Butterfly.

This is why I believe they di...
This is why I believe they discontinued some clocks. How did you stumble across the image? They are launching some products next week (although did not mention Nelson). I'm very excited with the prospect of the butterfly clock. Please give more info if you have it.

It was in the print...
It was in the print catalogue of a German webshop. I received their catalogue with a recent purchase the other week. There was a partial image on the cover and a text that said it shows the "Flock of Butterflies Clock" by Nelson, preliminarily available in April. I am afraid that is all the information I have. Please email me on gustafomatic@gmail.com if you want the name of the store.

I wrote on Vitra's facebook...
I wrote on Vitra's facebook page last night...
"Was told you guys are releasing the Nelson Butterfly clock. Very excited about this!"
they replied:
"Yes, we do. We released "Flock of Butterflies", "Polygon Clock" and "Wheel Clock".
Best,
Vitra"
Guess we have 3 new clocks to look forward to! Mystery solved.
2226 (butterfly)
2288 (wheel)
any idea on what was referenced as polygon clock? i looked through my vitra book and did not see it.

wow. that's one of my...
wow. that's one of my favorite nelson clocks. i was hoping it might be that one! i know what you mean though, don't want to see it reissued because you don't want to see it exploited. rarity is nice...i'd still like to see a clear photo of Ophelias hair clock.

Vitra is on Facebook? I...
Vitra is on Facebook? I suddenly feel old...
But that is great news. Thanks for sharing. The Polygon clock is one of my favourites too. This is a reissue I really look forward to.
Which one is the Wheel clock?
tynellbuyer, on one of the images you linked to there is a sticker that says (c) 2001. What do you make of that? Is this the new reissue or was this model released once previously?

the wheel clock is pictured...
the wheel clock is pictured in the top left corner, it looks like spokes kind of...or perhaps the spokes of an old wagon. I love this one too!

And now
And now the inevitable question: How much? The butterfly might be a less-severe alternative to the turbine clock I have been lusting after.

Thanks rc! I love that model...
Thanks rc! I love that model too. This is going to be a tough choice.

I have 4 of the 6 clocks pict...
I have 4 of the 6 clocks pictured above, vintage. The Polygon (or SpikeDiamond) clock has always been one of my favorites. About 15 years ago I meet a guy who was doing his own reproductions of Nelson clocks. His work was top notch, so I showed him my collection and since then he and I have reproduced around 10 or 12 different wall clocks and their variations and 1 desk clocks. We did the Flock of Butterflies in the Aluminum, white, and the Orange and Yellow combo. Also did the Pretzel clock, Eye, Popsicle. TriAngle, Petal, Ball, Steering Wheel, the Bird Cage, and the Wheel. We are still working on some new ones too. IMO, the clocks we have done are way truer to the vintage originals. The Vitra clocks are really pretty good, but some are not that well built, and they all look way too factory stamped out new. Also they take some liberties on the colors, hands, and construction. That all said, it is exciting to see these new clock by Vitra. Looks like they did a pretty good job on the Polygon, wonder how much it will run$$. (I will try to post some pictures, once I figure out how to do it)

I Clock - does he sell these...
I Clock - does he sell these reproductions? I have thought of doing this also. I made a limited run of Rowena the Ram clocks a few years ago which are as good of quality as the vitra versions...painted masonite, and silkscreened face. I ordered the hands from vitra, but now they are $60 per pair. Did you guys manufacture your own hands? Definitely want to see your pictures.

IClock
I'd sell the vintage clock QUICK if I were you.
Vitra is single handedly destroying the market for vintage Nelson clocks. Clocks, miniature chests, Eames ESU, the list goes on and on for vintage designs that were once highly coveted and brought prices that reflected their rarity. Now that everything under the sun is being reproduced, these pieces bring a fraction of what they did before.

PegBoard, wanna take all these worthless clocks off my hands? LOL
Yes, these kind of things do effect the dollar value of the vintage clocks, etc. But I have been collecting the clocks for over 20 years, so they are not just a monetary investment for me, they are something I love and enjoy. Therein lies some of the differences between collectors like my self, and dealers like you. You got to make a living and I can appreciate all that, but I plan on hanging on to my old clocks for awhile yet. 🙂 I am sure some day I will part with my collections and time will tell what these reproductions will do to the value of the vintage ones.

I see both sides...don't...
I see both sides...don't want to get into a big discussion. I respect your trade Pegboard, but the fact is that the old pieces that are driving money were made as a mass produced product, they were meant to sell, not as a piece of art. I know there are cases where this isn't the norm, like a limited run of something from a long time ago, but these pieces were designed to be used by a MASS audience. They didn't sell well in there day, so they were discontinued - now there is a demand for them again, and unfortunately it does drive down the price of vintage, but it also gives the product new life and finally it is desired after many years of not being desired. I hope you get what I'm saying. There will always be a market for vintage because there are collectors out there who want the original pieces, but then there are people like me who appreciate the designs for what they are and want to buy them and be a consumer, something I was not allowed to do before because it has been discontinued and because it was a "dud" it's worth a ton of money. If George Nelson was still alive and his product had been discontinued because people stopped buying, he certainly wouldn't say later on "No, don't put my design back into production so that it get s a high price on the auction block". He's a designer and wants his product to reach as many people as possible and would say "There's obviously a demand, let's get that tooling back up and running".