Cool New Countdown Clock Tells The Time And How Many Days Left Until A Special - or Icky- Event.

Mr. Jones Watches has just introduced the Countdown Clock. A nice looking tabletop or wall-mounted clock that not only keeps time, but keeps track of how many days until a special - or in some cases, dreaded,  event.



You can choose from 34 different occasions to count down to. Some of the events are quite specific ("birthday," "anniversary," "holiday") while others are deliberately vague ("it's over," "freedom," "the big day"), so only you'll know what you're counting to. You can see the full list of events below.




The way the clock works couldn’t be simpler: you press a button to flip through the different events until you find the one you want to count to. Next you press the day count buttons to set the number of days you want to count to. That’s it! From then on the day count will decrease by one automatically every day. The clock can count down a maximum of 999 days for those who plan their life a long time in advance!




Specifications:
Size of clock: 220mm x 135mm x 50mm (height x width x depth)
Size of packaging box: 260mm x 180mm x 90mm
Case: PVC (CAS 9002-86-2)
Movement: Quartz unjewelled clock movement
Batteries (not included): 1 x AA / 2 x AAA

The full list of countdown events:
Mother's Day
Father's Day
Retirement
School's out
The test
Graduation
Anniversary
Baby's due
The big day
The big night
The party
The move
The delivery
She's back
He's back
They arrive
They're back
The first day
Interview
The meeting
Launch
Freedom
Reunion
It's over
The Date
The big game
A new start
Holiday
Vacation
Christmas
The Holidays
Thanksgiving
Halloween
Birthday


Price £95/ $124/ €107
Buy it here.

The 4th Dimension Cement Wall Clock Links Time and Space.

This unique clock by Taiwan's 22designstudio is meant to link time and space, like that of the fourth dimension. The result is a modern looking wall clock made of cement whose form is much like that of a spiral staircase with the hands on the the top level. Light and shadow change with the movement of time evoking the name.

Available with blue or orange secondhand:

photos © 22designstudio

$375.00
buy it here.

Floating Frame Mantel Clocks in 14 Finishes by Kiki van Eijk for Moss Gallery.

above: Kiki with her clocks and below that, the gold-plated copper wire frame clock for Moss Gallery is the most expensive in the collection and costs $4,200

Moss Gallery invited designer Kiki van Eijk to create a series of metal wire mantel clocks in 14 different finishes based on her floating frame works of brass and ceramic. The result is the "One More Time : Floating Frame Mantel Clock"

Rendered in ceramic and bent wire "drawings", the skeletal representations of solid forms are executed in various metals and finishes such as oxidized copper, shiny copper, anodized metals in colors, matte silver and even real gold-plated copper.





dimensions: 13.3" x 5.5", height: 16"

Prices range from $2,500 to $4,200.00 (for the gold-plated copper edition). To see the whole range of 14 finishes and to purchase, go here



above: The grandfather clock and candle holder from van Eijk's floating frame collection inspired the mantel clocks for Moss Gallery

Not a stranger to clock designs, Kiki has also made these wonderful mantel clocks:




Kiki van Eijk (born 1978, the Netherlands) graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2000. She is frequently asked to design interiors for both residential and commercial projects, to act as Art Director for exhibitions, to create exhibit designs for galleries, museums and schools, and she has designed products for the ceramics producer Cor Unum and the industrial design manufactory Moooi, the Netherlands. In addition, she has developed several collections which are produced through her own studio. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions worldwide, most recently during the 2010 Salone del Mobile, Milan, in an exhibition presented by the Zeiderzee Museum. Van Eijk lives and works in Eindhoven.

Wood Jungle Wall Clocks By Nir Meiri. Walrus, Giraffe, Bear & Deer.

A series of four wooden wall clocks designed by industrial designer Nir Meiri. Each is shaped like the head of a different animal. $89 USD each.

Deer:

H 60 W 48 D 4.5 cm.

Bear:

H 39 W 28 D 4.5 cm.

Walrus:

H 36 W 26 D 4.5 cm.

Giraffe:

H 45 W 38 D 4.5 cm.

Buy them here

Pentagram's Daniel Weil Designs A Clock For An Architect

Privately commissioned to create a gift for an architect, Daniel Weil created a one-of-a-kind clock that is both simple and complex. Reducing objects to their component parts has long fascinated Weil. The Radio in a Bag* he created for his degree show at the Royal College of Art three decades ago is an icon of 20th century industrial design. This clock is the latest demonstration of his interest in investigating not just how objects look, but how they work.




Constructed in ash and nickel-plated brass and silver, the clock is built of five separate elements. The numbers, both hours and minutes, are inscribed on the face and interior of a 9 3/4-inches diameter ring.




The mechanism for setting the time connects with the central mechanism with visible rubber belts.



A single AA battery provides power to the clock through visible power strips that are recessed in the assembly’s base. (Note the different screws that support the battery stand, keyed to the positive and negative poles of the power source.)



And, befitting the object’s recipient, the housing for the central mechanism takes the form of, literally, a house.




Daniel's sketches for the clock:






“Objects like clocks are both prosaic and profound,” says Weil. “Prosiac because of their ubiquity in everyday life, profound because of the mysterious nature of time itself. Time can be reduced to hours, minutes and seconds, just as a clock can be reduced to its component parts. This doesn’t explain time, but in a way simply exposes its mysterious essence.”

*

above: Daniel Weil. 'Radio in a bag', 1983. 28.5 x 20.6 c


above article and images via Pentagram

A Modern Take On Nixie Tube Clocks from BDDW, Chronotronix, Puhlmann and Peter J. Jensen

Most Nixie tube clocks ordinarily look a little steam punk and a little scientific a la Thomas Dolby. But I found a few companies that make nixie clocks pretty enough for almost anyone's taste. The neon tubes, when combined with blackened bronze, silver chrome, and stunning woods, become an unusual blend of science and art, making a functional item a pretty piece of home decor.

What is a digital Nixie Tube?

A nixie tube is an electronic device for displaying numerals or other information. The glass tube contains a wire-mesh anode, and multiple cathodes in the shape of Arabic numerals. Applying power to one cathode surrounds it with an orange glow discharge. The tube is filled with a gas at low pressure, usually mostly neon and often a little mercury and/or argon, in a Penning mixture (Weston 1968), (Bylander 1979,).


above: A typical Nixie tube clock.

How Nixie Tubes work:
Each glass tube typically contains 10 or more individual cathode wires in the shape of numbers or letters. The cathodes are stacked so that different numerals appear at different depths, unlike a planar display in which all numerals are on the same plane relative to the viewer. The anode is a transparent metal mesh wrapped around the front of the display. The tube is filled with the inert gas neon (and other gases) with a small amount of mercury. When an electric potential of 120 to 180 volts DC is applied between the anode and any cathode, the gas near the cathode breaks down and the digit spreads into a glow.

1. The NIXIE desk clock

Above: Silver plated bronze exterior with digital nixie tubes.
The desk clock easures 6"H x 11.5"W x 2.5"D and is available in Blackened bronze, Natural bronze, Silver plated

2. The NIXIE wall clock



Above: Bronze exterior with digital nixie tubes.
The wall clock measures 21.25"H x 9.5"W x 2"D and comes in Blackened bronze or Natural bronze

3. The WOODEN NIXIE Grandfather clock



Above: Wood exterior with digital nixie tubes.
Measures 75"H x 10.75"W x 7"D and is available in American white oak / Dark oak finish, Osage orange / Natural oil finish, Claro walnut / Natural oil finish

Known mostly for their hand crafted wood furniture, BDDW makes stunning tables, chairs, mirrors, lamps and rugs, too. You can inquire about their nixie clocks and see all their beautiful furniture and rug designs as well here.




Another company making Nixie tube clocks that have updated them with wood and chrome finishes is Nixie Clock.net. Since 1997 they've sold Nixie Tube Clocks and living accessories. The company is located in Germany and they run a warehouse in the United States in order to improve their service standard. Having started retailing Nixie Clocks they are now developing their own Nixie Tube Clocks and below are some of their models.

CHRONOTRONIX V400 NIXIE TUBE CLOCK:


Buy it here.

The CHRONOTRONIX V300 NIXIE TUBE CLOCK:

Buy it here.

Unfortunately the CHRONOTRONIX IN-18 NIXIE CLOCK shown below is sold out:



As is this lovely one made by Karlsson:


Check out their inventory and pricing here.
The ones above can also be found here at Chronotronix Nixie Tube Clocks.

The Puhlmann Nixie Clock designed by dutch designer Frank Clewits is another nice modern version:



Above: wallclock with Nixie-tubes, steel, L32,5 x H 16cm, incl. adaptor

Unfortunately, I can not find this clock for sale anywhere. Even the puhlmann shop doesn't seem to have it.

Another site that sells handmade nixie clocks, as well as nixie clock kits, is Peter J. Jensen's tubeclock.com.



And if you are digging the nixies, check out this gallery of homemade nixie tube clocks.