When it comes to meaningful and intricate tattoos, there’s no better subject than clocks. Clock tattoos are usually detailed, making them visually appealing. They often get associated with life and death, making them the perfect design for men contemplating their mortality and who are looking for a piece reminding them about the importance of living every day to the fullest.
The best part about clock tattoos is their versatility, allowing wearers to add different elements to the body art, ranging from skulls to roses, giving more meaning to the piece. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next tattoo, here are 25 of the best clock tattoos for men.
1. Old Clock Tattoo
There are several types of clocks, and they hold greater significance than merely telling the time. Generally, timepieces are associated with a person’s impermanence, meaning nothing lasts forever. This factor helps everyone value their lives more, encouraging them to live their life to the fullest even more. Additionally, clocks can also represent the balance between life and death, making it an excellent choice for men who often contemplate their mortality. When deciding what ink design to go for, you can be inspired by the clock’s more classic appearance, such as a traditional pocket watch.
Perhaps, you may like the overall look of the clock or are getting a tattoo of it to represent a loved one, like your grandfather, who may have owned a timepiece. Regardless of the reason behind the ink, the beauty of clock old clock tattoos is that they’re often open for interpretation, making each piece unique to the wearer.
2. Roman Numeral Clock Tattoo
Roman numerals are an excellent way of remembering a particular date or time in one’s life, representing the birth of a loved one or their passing. When you combined these numbers with a clock, this usually portrays a powerful message, as timepieces are typically associated with life and death, serving as a reminder of how temporary one’s existence is. This tattoo idea would be a perfect choice for a man who’s a naturally deep thinker but also would like to honor a moment in time that significantly changed who he is for better—or for worse.
3. Abstract Clock Tattoo
It’s no secret that art’s one of the most profound aspects of humanity. The ability to observe the outside world and recreate it creatively is significant to the human experience—and abstract art usually can provide both the experience of creation and story-telling, being open to different interpretations of complex ideas. Applying this approach in a tattoo regarding clocks and timepieces, in general, can make for a stunning piece that is genuinely meaningful.
4. Digital Clock Tattoo
Getting a clock tattoo is one of the best ways to honor special times in your lifetime, with most designs focusing more on the conventional appearance of timepieces since they’re more visually appealing and meaningful. However, if you’re looking for something a bit different, why not get a digital clock tattoo instead? The piece’s beauty is one that you can indicate a particular date and time, placing more importance on it.
The date can be your child’s birthday or a memorial ink for a grandparent who has passed. Additionally, you can make the piece more special by basing it on the exact model of the watch your loved one used to wear.
5. Classical Antiquity Clock Tattoo
The characters that rose out of Greek mythology set a high standard regarding drama and spectacle, ranging from Hercules and his 12 labors to Icarus’ melting waxwings. There’s a massive amount of material to draw upon and lasting significance assigned to these myths. The message and symbolism of these myths only deepen when you combine them with clocks, adding the finite nature of time.
6. Faces of Time Tattoo
Clocks began as simple tools to help people tell time and quickly turned into something bigger, a more intricate work of art and technology. Before the modern digital revolution, clocks were often considered the pinnacle of engineering, boasting precision and complexity in their construction. The attention to detail to each timepiece didn’t stop at functionality, with the talent on display, indicating the clocks and watches become some of the most stunning expressions of art and creativity, specifically the clocks’ faces.
Thanks to this aesthetic appeal, they make great tattoo designs—and have recently become a popular choice for men.
7. Rose and Clock Tattoo
If you’re looking to get a tattoo design with a ‘deep’ meaning, then a rose and clock tattoo is an excellent choice as this piece represents stunning visuals while being filled with symbolic value. The combination of roses and clocks is often associated with life and life. The flower is one of the most beautiful and most famous images for tattoos thanks to its meaning—representing passion, death, joy, and love, depending on the color you pick. Keep in mind that placement of the tattoo also matters, so to allow for enough detail and bring the piece to life, make sure to choose an area on the body that’s big enough for it, such as an arm or thigh.
8. Clock and Eye Tattoo
When it comes to tattoos, eyes are usually an excellent choice for several reasons. Firstly, thanks to the different shapes and colors of eyes, the wearer can choose various styles and applications. Plus, there’s something fundamentally intriguing about human eyes, with the observer naturally drawn by the powerful image. But since they’re so diverse, people may also associate eyes with other elements. It leaves a more impactful statement and ‘deeper’ significance when you pair eyes with clocks, making for some aesthetically appealing and meaningful tattoos.
9. Cog Clock Tattoo
At the heart of traditional clocks and watches lay cogs, wheels, and springs, the ones behind the accuracy and longevity of these timepieces. The craftsmanship in each one is incredible, boasting a more in-depth significance. Revealing the cogs of a clock or watch can perfectly represent the wearer’s emotions, all hidden under the gorgeous facade of the timepiece’s face. This tattoo idea embodies the saying, “still waters run deep,” making it an excellent choice for men.
10. Compass Clock Tattoo
If you’re looking to get a clock tattoo but want to get a piece symbolizing direction and good luck, there’s no better way than combining it with a compass. This design is ideal for men looking to remind themselves of the essential things in their lives, preventing them from going down the wrong path. Additionally, to make your ink more personal and unique to you, you can choose where the timepiece’s hands will stop or add various elements meaningful to you, including maps, birds, and arrows.
11. Broken Clock Tattoo
Tight schedules and limited time often drives most people’s lives, and as a society, people often place great importance on time. However, what happens when you’re looking to break free from this cycle and leave a ‘freer’ life? Although you can’t change everything overnight, an excellent way to depict your desires for change can begin with getting a broken clock tattoo. It’s a perfect choice for men looking to break free from everyday life and live. There are numerous interpretations of this tattoo design, and it can be associated with leaving the past you and changing for the better.
12. Melting Clock Tattoo
If you’re fond of the legendary Spanish artist Salvador Dali, you should be familiar with the famous and stunning imagery of a ‘melting clock.’ The artist is often celebrated with his surrealist works, and he used the image in his painting, the Persistence of Memory. The artwork depicts a dream state, indicating how pointless humans’ obsessions with time are, as many look at their watches every day, ensuring they’re on schedule, driven by routine. If you’re looking to escape from this rut and live a more free existence, a melting clock tattoo is an excellent way to express your feelings.
13. Skull Clock Tattoo
The image that ultimately represents one’s mortality is ‘human skulls,’ which have been the common elements in tattoos for men for decades, holding plenty of symbolic value. Skulls usually make visually appealing tattoos for men thanks to different styles they can choose from, and when incorporated with clock tattoos, they gain a special significance. Everyone’s racing against the clock, and with a finite amount of time before everyone, a skull and clock tattoo is an excellent way to let everyone know that you’re aware of your limited time and are looking to live your life to the fullest.
14. Heart Clock Tattoo
If you’re looking to honor someone special in your life, there’s no better way than expressing your appreciation than getting permanent body art. After all, tattoos are usually meant to last forever, making them an excellent way to remind yourself of the individuals who significantly impacted your life, including those who already passed on. A heart clock tattoo often represents endless love, with the hands of the timepiece indicating special dates, like the birth of your child or the death of a grandparent. Men looking to make their ink more unique may also add other elements to the heart clock tattoo, including names, initials, or images of those dear to them.
15. Lion Clock Tattoo
The lion is perceived as the king of the jungle, a well-respected and robust beast. It’s a majestic animal often associated with courage and strength, and getting a tattoo of a lion can represent your ability to overcome struggles and still come out on top. If you’re looking to add more meaning to the image, adding a clock to the design is ideal. Combining lions and timepieces boast symbolic value, making for a thought-provoking and visually appealing piece for men.
16. Owl Clock Tattoo
Owls are mysterious animals often associated with wisdom and knowledge, with the nocturnal birds representing many things, including luck and transition. The image of owls works well with many other elements, including clocks. It’s an appealing combination to men who find value in the qualities mentioned, and you can make the piece more personal by adding elements vital to you,
17. Sand Clock Tattoo
Clock tattoos are usually linked with the balance between life and death, and there’s no better representation for that message than an hourglass. The hourglass shows how much time you have left before the sand grains reach the bottom, creating a powerful and meaningful visual. It’s an excellent way to portray a human’s life cycle and your acceptance of it. Depending on your preferred design, you may also indicate when a loved one passed away or add other elements to make the piece more personal and impactful.
18. Chest Clock Tattoo
For men who want to get inked in a ‘large place’ for a more intricately detailed design of a clock while discreet, there’s no better placement than the chest. Most men prefer to have their inks covered up and decide when they want to show them off, meaning that their lifestyle isn’t affected by their chosen designs. For instance, if you’re working in a stuffy corporate environment, it may be frowned upon to show off your body art. That’s why the placement is a popular choice among men.
However, keep in mind that getting a chest piece tattoo will be painful since there’s not much fat and muscles in the area, especially when getting detailed imagery like clocks, but the results will be worth it.
19. Arm Clock Tattoo
Tattoos can be an excellent way to show off your creativity and personality, and besides design, placement is also essential if you’re looking to make a statement with your tattoos. For men, the arm can be a great spot as it’s visible, and it isn’t too hard to hide. This combination makes it a popular placement location for men and isn’t usually painful. The arms have naturally thick skin and muscle, giving enough space for the required attention to detail regarding clock tattoos.
20. Forearm Clock Tattoo
Forearm clock tattoos are excellent if you’re looking to see your body art every day, reminding yourself of the powerful meaning behind the piece and why you chose to have it in the first place. The best part about forearm tattoos is that since it’s such a versatile location, it gives you enough space to create detailed imagery, and you can easily cover your body art whenever necessary. Another advantage of getting a forearm clock tattoo is that it’ll look great either way, whether you have small and simple or large and detailed pieces.
21. Hand Clock Tattoo
When deciding on a tattoo design, most men like to consider a couple of things, including its suitability with their lifestyle and visibility. Men looking to show off their creativity and don’t mind the pain involved in the tattooing process—there’s no better tattoo idea than a hand clock tattoo. The thin skin on the back of your hands can result in a painful session, but it’s an excellent spot for a clock tattoo that’ll remind you to enjoy life every day.
22. Full Sleeve Clock Tattoo
Sleeve tattoos naturally take a lot of time to complete, especially full-sleeve ones. However, the finished product is impactful and visually appealing, and as its name suggests, these tattoo pieces usually cover the entire arm, resembling a sleeve on your clothing. It’s a great way to let your imagination run wild, and it lets you add different elements aside from the focal clock piece, such as roses, doves, and dates. These additions can clarify that the design should represent a message, such as honoring a loved one or your child’s birth. The only limit you have in this tattoo idea is your imagination.
23. Half Sleeve Clock Tattoo
If you’re looking to show off your body art or want to see your tattoo every day, then the arm is a great spot, serving as a placement area where you can see your tattoo as you please. You can add several designs in the area, creating a sleeve, but if you’re not keen on getting a full sleeve, a half sleeve is also a popular choice among men. The process usually starts at your shoulders and ends at the elbow—covering half of your arm.
24. Top Drawer Clock Tattoo
To be a top drawer means to be of the highest quality, and these are some perfect examples of what’s possible for getting a clock tattoo. Using black and gray alongside colored ink, artists can create powerful pieces incorporating clocks and watches with deep meaning for the wearers. Because of the varied significance that people ascribe to these timepieces and the creative potential, they can make an excellent tattoo for men.
25. Clock and Geography Tattoo
While clocks and watches are human’s attempt at interpreting time, the work of geography is the effort of understanding the world around us. Combining these two can make a beautiful tattoo, representing man’s quest for knowledge and understanding in this usually disorganized and chaotic world. Whether you’re thinking of getting full color or classic black ink, a clock and geography tattoo can make for stunning and complementary design elements.
FAQ
Clocks symbolize the passage of time, hence life, as well as death. The tattoo reminds the person that life moves on and to make every moment count.
The best place to place a clock tattoo is the chest. It has a wide expanse, and there is room to spare. There are plenty of options for placing a tattoo on the chest. More space allows the tattoo artist to play around with the size, shape and complexity of the design.
Different people show different times on their clocks. There are commemorative clock tattoos that memorialize time of birth or death. Clock time is a personal preference.
Dali was a surrealist artist who painted melting clocks. He was a famous painter who thought and did things out of the box. In the same manner, a melting clock tattoo signifies thinking differently, and it also symbolizes intelligence beyond the ordinary.