Browse By Type
Browse By Price
Get Our
Bestselling Book
SHOP
Visit ATLASOBSCURA.COM
Visit Atlasobscura.com
Get our
bestselling
book
browse gifts by
type or price

Spring Forward With These Clever Clocks

Daylight Savings begins Sunday, March 10. This year, don't just advance your clock an hour, advance the art of timekeeping by switching to one of these twelve unconventional clocks.

Share our shop
Why We Love It

A traditional clock's days are numbered. With this clock, enjoy time as text.

Tyler Cole VP, Community
tyler

LED Word Clock

Currently Unavailable
Why We Love It

The gravity-defying Story Clock must be seen to be believed. This successful 2017 Kickstarter project features a levitating chrome sphere that orbits a wooden base at the time interval—minutes, hours, or years—of your choice.

Story Clock

$799
Why We Love It

Every passing minute on this clever clock delivers a slight pattern variation to stop and contemplate.

Time Pattern Clock

$50
Why We Love It

If you must begin the day with an alarm, perhaps try the "natural wake-up" provided by this ingenious sunrise-simulating machine.

Alarm Clock With Sunrise Simulation

$60
Why We Love It

Whether you're fascinated by the science of cold cathode display, nostalgic for obsolete technology, or just want a cool conversation piece in your living room, the vacuum tube Nixie Clock has you covered.

Tyler Cole VP, Community
tyler

Nixie Clock

$260
Why We Love It

This sleek, modern sundial has an eco-friendly pedigree. It's made from recycled garden pots.

Wall Mounted Sundial

Currently Unavailable
Why We Love It

Depending on your morning mood, this is either the world's smartest or most annoying alarm clock. Regardless, there's no snoozing with Clocky.

Tyler Cole VP, Community
tyler

Clocky the Runaway Alarm Clock

$46
Why We Love It

Measure your day in mechanical clacks. Our favorite retro timepiece keeps wasted minutes in check.

Eric Grundhauser Senior Producer
EricGrundhauser

Retro Flip Clock

$47
Why We Love It

This 24-hour video of construction workers continually rebuilding the time out of lumber and bolts is a mesmerizing piece of art. I took an old smartphone, installed this app, and now have a beautifully strange clock on my wall.

Joshua Foer Co-Founder
Josh

Standard Time App

$10
Why We Love It

No, it won’t keep perfect time, but this laser-cut wooden clock is a lot of fun to build. And even more fun to show people

Joshua Foer Co-Founder
Josh

3D Wooden Puzzle Clock

$50
Why We Love It

This clock uses an ingenious system of geometrical masking to convert the sun’s angle into a digital read-out of the time. Though the math for this sundial was worked out in the 1990s, it took the more recent advent of high-resolution 3D-printers to bring this magical device into being.

Joshua Foer Co-Founder
Josh

Digital Sundial

$81
Why We Love It

This easy-to-build kit comes with all the pieces you need to create a robotic clock that writes, erases, and rewrites the time on a small dry erase board.

Joshua Foer Co-Founder
Josh

Drawing Robotic Clock

$34

Atlas Obscura Goods

The Explorer’s Library

Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide | An Atlas Obscura Book

Online Course Gift Card

Atlas Obscura Page-A-Day Calendar 2023

An Explorer’s
Guide to the World’s
Hidden Wonders, 2nd Edition

An Explorer’s Guide
for the World’s
Most Adventurous Kid

Explorer’s Journal:
Let Your Curiosity Be Your Compass

We are a participant in Amazon and other affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to their websites.

Get Our Email Newsletter

Thanks for subscribing! View all newsletters »

Follow Us

Get the app

Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
Download the App

Places

  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place

Editorial

  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters

Trips

  • All Trips
  • Trips Blog
  • Art & Culture Trips
  • Food Trips
  • Hidden City Trips
  • History Trips
  • Photography Trips
  • Wildlife & Nature Trips
  • FAQ

Experiences

  • Experiences
  • Online Courses
  • Online Experience FAQ
  • Online Course FAQ

Community

  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us

Company

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2023 Atlas Obscura. All rights reserved.