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The Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens is credited with first suggesting the use of a pendulum. Pendulum clocks were the first clocks made to have any sort of accuracy. The tall case of a grandfather clock allows for the use of the energy stored in a suspended weight to be used as the clock's motive power so tall clocks allow longer running times than shorter clocks. Grandfather clocks often include a second weight to power the clock's chimes so if there are two winding holes on the clock dial one will be to wind up the clock weight and the other to drive chimes.

The period (the amount of time it takes for a pendulum to go back and forth once) of a pendulum's swing is related only to the length of the pendulum and the force of gravity. Since gravity is constant at any given spot on the planet, the only thing that affects the period of a pendulum is the length of the pendulum. The amount of weight does not matter. Nor does the length of the arc that the pendulum swings through. Only the length of the pendulum matters. Given these rules the length of a pendulum can be adjusted, so that it's period is exactly half one or two seconds, it is a relatively simple matter to convert this period to a clock tick through the system of gears that is familiar to us in mechanical time pieces.

There are no precise rules as to what constitutes a 'grandfather clock' a long case or grandfather clock is generally above 75 inches tall. In the 1920s and 1930s a smaller case size became popular between 64 and 69 inches, perhaps reflecting the growing popularity of urban apartments and lower ceilings. Anything less than 62 inches but using the basic long case principles is generally categorized as a grand-daughter clock, but these cannot be regarded as rules as among clock experts opinions differ and much more complex categorization rules can be encountered.

What we do now know for certain is that the words "Grandfather Clock" as a description for a tall long case floor standing clock entered the English language in 1875 with the writing of the song Grandfather's Clock by an American Henry Clay Work, who was told the story of an unusually accurate timepiece which he came across staying in the George Hotel, Piercebridge, Yorkshire, England. He decided to compose a song about the fascinating coincidence that the clock never made another tick on the second that its' old gentleman owner passed away. The song was a runaway success and has been reproduced in sheet music form more than ten million times, ensuring that everyone now knows that a big tall case clock is "Grandfather's".

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