Awesome Nixie

This 5.5-foot-tall glass clock from Urwerk and Nixie expert Dalibor Farny contains eight large Nixie tubes and a total of 1445 parts. In addition to displaying the time and date, it can show how many kilometers the Earth has revolved around the Sun on a given day or year-to-date. Just 33 clocks will be produced, with a retail price of 55,000 CHF (~ USD 60,700).

This unique desk clock combines vintage tech with natural looks. At its center is an exposed circuit board with vintage IV-9 Nixie tubes. A hardwood frame complements the warm orange glow of its tubes. Its circuitry includes a DS3231 clock chip and an ESP8266 wi-fi module to maintain accurate time via the internet. It measures 4.92″ x 4.92″ x 2.12″.

This unique tabletop alarm clock features a vintage IN-12 nixie tube display and a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Adding to its retro look is a glowing analog VU meter that shows the audio level. Its case is made from aluminum alloy, and it comes with a clear cover to protect its tubes.

If you love the warm orange glow of nixie tube clocks, Millclock makes a variety of them. In addition to their more accessible models, they now sell the ZIN-70 series, which has the largest nixie tubes available, with each of its handmade tubes measuring 4″ tall. Techmoan got to test out this impressive timepiece.

This unique turntable deftly blends modern and retro design. In addition to its belt-drive turntable, it has a built-in clock with a vintage Nixie tube display. It has a built-in speaker and supports 33, 44, and 78 record playback speeds. It’s also got an RCA output for connecting to an external amplifier and can be used as a Bluetooth speaker.

This industrial-style wristwatch packs a pair of vintage IN16 Nixie tubes for its display. It features a scratch- and fingerprint-resistant sapphire crystal and comes with a wireless charging base. Its case is made from aluminum oxide, and a blue LED accent light differentiates between hour and minute displays.

We’ve seen several cool Nixie tube clocks, but this is the first radio we’ve seen that incorporates the vintage numeric displays. Sold in kit form, the radio packs four IN-17 Nixie tubes, an AM/FM tuner, an alarm clock, and a rechargeable battery. It also has Bluetooth/Aux inputs and an SD slot for MP3s. Starts shipping 12.2021.

Featuring a backlit LCD/IPS tube display like the EleksTube clock, the Nextube takes things to the next level. In addition to selectable fonts, it has a handsome black walnut base, brass accent rings, and built-in weather, timer, and music visualizer functions. Open-source firmware means you can develop your own apps too.

This clever modern take on vintage digital clocks replaces the Nixie tubes with tiny 16:9 LCD screens inside of glass tubes. The screens can display the time in a multitude of fonts as well as custom image uploads via Windows. The clock offers an intuitive configuration process that shows its settings on its individual screens.

This wristwatch combines vintage tech with modern styling. It displays the current time and date on a pair of 1970s military-grade vacuum tubes, driven by a Swiss real-time clock module. Its body is machined from aluminum alloy, and its tubes sit beneath a protective sapphire crystal. Available in black or silver.

This clock radio is a beautiful tribute to retro technology. It combines a clock, an AM/FM radio, and a high-quality Bluetooth speaker in one. Each handmade radio is built with warmly-glowing vintage nixie tubes to display the time and an American black walnut enclosure with a 360 brass bezel and knurled knobs.

Dalibor Farný is one of the world’s only experts at making custom nixie tubes. In this 22-minute video, he crafts the prototype for an enormous tube filled with numeric filaments. The process requires surgical precision for the filament wiring, masterful glassblowing skills, and the tiniest defect can make tubes unusable.

Like the Gixie Clock, this tabletop digital clock uses RGB LEDs and sheets of laser-etched acrylic to simulate the look of an old Nixie tube clock, but with multiple colors. It offers a variety of color modes, supports 12/24 hour time formats, and has an alarm function. Requires a Windows PC or Mac for programming.

As we learned previously, Dalibor Farný is a true master of the craft of making nixie tubes. In this clip, he shows off the process of making a large, custom tube, that instead of displaying digits, glows with the logo of his client, Keysight Technologies. We want one with The Awesomer logo now!

Before LEDs and LCDs, the best way to display digits or text was using vacuum tubes that contain layers of bent filament, each of which can display shapes when current is applied. After Nixies went out of production, glass artist Dalibor Farný started making his own.

Instead of sourcing vintage nixie tubes, Millclock made its own tubes for its ZIN18 clock. The handmade tubes are longer, more durable, and are rated to last for 200,000 hours of operation. The clock can be controlled via its touchpad or companion mobile app.

The Nixoid and Glower watches use nixie tubes found in military warehouses in Ukraine. They have silicon straps and cases for an eye-catching casual look. The Nixoid has a 55mm diameter while the Glower has a 49mm diameter. Both last up to 20 days per charge.

Techmoan loves to collect and examine unusual bits of technology from our past. One of the more interesting gadgets he’s come across is the Nu-Spin – a single purpose device which generates random numbers and displays them on cool old gas-filled nixie tubes.

A surprisingly well-priced nixie tube clock, with a bright, easy-to-read display made from vintage soviet front-facing tubes. Each one is handmade with a solid wood case, and features a 7-day alarm capability. Available with or without RGB LED backlighting.

An absolutely stunning retrofuturist timepiece, featuring four miniature Soviet-era Nixie tubes for its display. The circuitry is housed in a body milled from a block of aluminum, and can activate automatically when you turn your wrist. Includes a wireless wooden charging stand.

This amazing bit of retrofuturist tech uses over 1400 electronic components to display a visual representation of audio using 32 vintage Soviet era Nixie tubes. The base is made of solid acacia and oak with brass accents, and it can accept analog or digital audio inputs.

For the 5th anniversary of MB&F’s M.A.D. Gallery, industrial designer Frank Buchwald teamed up with nixie tube specialist Dalibor Farny for an updated version of Buchwald’s incredible Nixie Machine. The steel and brass clock can be tuned manually or online via Wi-Fi.

LaserMad shows off a sweet retro-modern clock that uses high voltage vintage Nixie tubes which float in the air using electromagnets, get their power using a copper induction coil, and transmit the time to the digits using infrared light. Available in kit form or fully-assembled.