the number four in some roman clocks sometimes can also be written as IIII instead of IV

Yes, in some Roman clocks, you might occasionally see IV represented as IIII. Historically, this was considered an acceptable variation, although it is more of an exception than a rule.

The reason is that in the early days of Roman numerals, there were fewer rules about how to construct numbers, and both methods (IV and IIII) were used. However, over time, the subtractive notation became standardized and IV became the standard representation for four.

In modern times, IV is the correct and universally accepted way to represent the number four in Roman numerals. The use of IIII is now largely obsolete and mainly seen in historical context or as a decorative choice in some specific instances like antique clocks or artistic representations.