Awesome Clocks

This fun and fanciful clock is shaped like a puffy mylar balloon. Combining mid-century modern aesthetics with a sense of whimsy, the battery-powered Luft Air Balloon Clock can hang on a wall or stand on a tabletop. Choose from off-white or orange. Made from acrylic, it measures 32 cm (appx. 12.6″) across.

This analog alarm clock features a design inspired by Seiko’s dive watches. It features easy-to-read hands with luminous paint, a rotating bezel, an oversize crown, and a battery-powered Seiko quartz clock mechanism. It comes in five metallic colors: Silver, Dark Silver, Black, Blue, and Blue + Red. Measures appx. 4″ across.

Clocks that use water to tell time date back thousands of years. Most examples worked like an hourglass, measuring the amount of water that dripped into a vessel to count the passage of time. Others used the dripping water to move a clock mechanism. Artist Uri Tuchman shows how he built such a timepiece using wood, copper, and brass components.

This clean-lined analog clock features a design inspired by the round clocks found at many railway stations. Newgate’s compact version measures 6.3″ across and fits perfectly on a mantel, bookshelf, or desktop. The battery-powered clock is made from acrylic, with metal hands and a glass lens. It comes in black, red, or yellow for a splash of color.

Filmmaker and musician Dan Mace performed the Coldplay song Clocks using clocks as his instruments. He started by modding a kalimba with clock hands for the melody and banged on broken clock parts to create the rhythm section. Now he should put everything back together while playing Fix You.

This geeky tabletop clock from Etsy seller PitStop3D tells time using Tetris blocks. As the minutes and hours change, colorful blocks fall into place to form the digits. Its LED dot-matrix display sits beneath a smoked acrylic cover, while its 3D-printed case is available in black, white, or the faux woodgrain shown here. Measures 10.5″ x 5.5″ x 1.75″.

This tabletop clock makes a great gift for arcade game fans. The 3D-printed clock features a case inspired by classic arcade cabinets, complete with a tiny joystick and buttons. In place of the old CRT screen is a battery-powered clock with numerals in a retro 8-bit font. 3DPRoSkillsCreations also makes arcade-themed desktop caddies.

We have a thing for unique timepieces here, and we’ve never seen anything quite like the Bezicron. Created by Ekaggrat Sing Kalsi, this electromechanical table clock uses coiled elastic bands to tell the time. It has a series of motorized cams that move the bands into place, creating soft and blobby digits. Hackaday has more details on the build.

We’ve always liked the look of those retro clocks with 7-segment digital displays. Tin Foil Hat shows how he made a version that changes its digits electromechanically. His clock uses 3D-printed parts and electromagnets to flip its segments from black to white. It can display letters as well as numbers. Find the build guide, parts list, and templates on Instructables.

Most analog clocks use physical hands to tell the time. The Hubble Traveller from One Balance replaces those hands with beams of light. The puck-shaped clock sits at the center of its face and projects skinny hands to indicate the hours and minutes. A mobile app adjusts its colors and time zone. It also comes in a less expensive single-hand version.

Istanbul, Turkey artist Woodmess Design Studio creates these eye-catching modern cuckoo clocks. Each handcrafted clock is made from layers of birch plywood embellished with colorful paints and varnish. Each hour, a mechanical bird pops its head out, chirps, flaps its wings, and makes its cuckoo sounds. The bird is smart enough to stay quiet overnight.

Humans since 1982 is back with another batch of its mesmerizing wall clock. The ClockClock 24 consists of 24 analog clock dials that, instead of telling the time individually, move in sync to form a digital display. This striking white on blue version was designed in partnership with Kit Kemp Design Studio. Limited to 100 units.

This unique timepiece comes from Swiss horologist L’Epee 1839. The grenade-shaped clock tells time on two rotating aluminum discs driven by a custom vertical movement. Pulling the pin won’t make it explode; instead, it’s the key for setting the time and winding its eight-day movement. Available in eight colors and limited to 99 pieces each.

This small tabletop alarm clock from Seiko features a design inspired by the precision timers used at sporting events. The rectangular LCD clock sits atop wire legs and offers time, date, stopwatch, and timer modes. It measures 4.125″ x 1″ x 1.75″ and comes in yellow, black, silver, or gold finishes. Runs on two AA batteries.

This unique tabletop display uses the natural properties of moss to improve air quality. Mingled with its plants is a grid of LED-backed tubes that can display the time and animations while providing light to help the moss flourish. It’s also a Bluetooth speaker and alarm clock, and its smart sprayer triggers images and sound effects. From the makers of the Moss Air.

Artist Uri Tuchman had a wacky idea – to make a metal gear with teeth shaped like little pigeons. After cutting dozens of tiny birds using a pantograph for tracing, he cut a matching gear and assembled them with a pendulum and other parts to create an analog “clock” mechanism. It doesn’t accurately tell time, but it’s a cool piece of kinetic art.