Although strictly speaking, this isn’t a phone, this cool iPhone dock from Areaware converts you existing iPhone into a  neat retro-looking flip clock radio that looks it warped right in from the 1970′s. It gives you the look of one of those vintage GE Flip Clocks sitting next to your bed with all the modern technology and convenience of your trusty iPhone.

Designed by Jonas Damon, the Alarm Dock by Areaware contains no actual electronics or speakers, it is simply a beautiful sustainably harvested beech wood case that you feed your charger cord into, then just dock your iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 and 4S and start your trusty flip clock app and you are all set. It gives you that cool vintage look for your bedside, desk, mantle or anywhere you need a reminder of how quickly technology changes.

If the natural wood finish doesn’t quite fit in with your decor, there is a black or white version available as well. All of them really look nice and retro and are a great way to continue using your iPhone when you are charging it. You can download the Areaware Flip Clock App here to complete the look. You can buy the Alarm Dock by Areaware from Unicahome.

To see the Alarm Dock in action, Check out this short video:

AREAWARE | Alarm Dock by Jonas Damon from AREAWARE on Vimeo.

Please Stand By…

From Nextime, Dutch design company which has made a name for itself by designing a whole slew of cool and funky clocks from the modern and mundane to the down right wacky, the contemporary styled Test Page Glass Wall Clock lies somewhere right in between. This glass faced wall clock was designed by Fritz Fink as a humorous take on the retro, nostalgic old test pattern shown on televisions when the networks went off the air. Gosh, it’s hard to believe there was a time when TV wasn’t running 24 hours a day.

With a large, multicolored, 17″ glass face and rectangular metal hands the Test Page Glass Wall Clock is easy to read and looks great in any room but this cool retro clock is perfect for a family room, home office or media room. Words on the bottom proclaim “One Moment Please” as a constant yet friendly reminder that time is passing.

Personally I love the bold colors and iconic throwback media graphics but on a more practical side, Nextime uses a very good quality movement, although for those that need a second hand you should note that this clock does not have one. Prices vary from store to store and although when it was first released it went for $80.00 you can pick the Test Page Glass Wall Clock up for about $56.22 at the online retailer ivgStores.

Cool Number Wall Clock!

A recent trend in wall clocks has been oddly shaped numbers free-floating around the central movement and I have to admit that I am kind of a sucker for these contemporary clocks. I have seen them made from wood and plastic but the vast majority of them a cut out of thin metal with a plasma cutter. But anyone that has seen these clocks around has to admit that these number clocks can very widely in how well they are executed. Like any trend, the market is soon flooded with poor quality reproductions that don’t show very much creativity.

Well I recently ran across a super stylish version of the floating numbers motif. The Stylish Number Ultra Simple Design Wall Clock is a bold new take in this emerging clock style. The first thing I noticed is how thick the clock it. Rather than thin sheet metal, tis modern wall clock is cut from a 1/4″ acrylic sheet that gives is a more dimensional look that adds depth. The numbers are bold and glossy black and they are in a funky retro typeface with abstract thick and thin lines, they don’t just show the standard 12, 3, 6 and nine either, they throw in a 2 here and an 8 there.

The bright red center of the clock houses the movement and the face has a long second hand rather than just a minute and hour hand. The modern design of this clock stands out on nearly any wall color and makes a bold contemporary statement in any room. It has a fun and funky style that breaks from the norm and you won’t find it in all of your friends homes.

Now for the best part, this Stylish Number Ultra Simple Design Wall Clock is available from Lightinthebox.com for only $27.99 with free shipping!

Remember the retro flip clocks from the 60s? The precursor to the digital clocks of the 1970s, flip clocks were an analog method of showing the time as a digital representation. As the minutes pass by, a panel with half of a numeral printed on both front and back flips down. The two halves of each digit fit together to form a bold and easy to read number to indicate the minute. The same thing is repeated once an hour to show the hour. It is a very simple mechanical solution from the days before miniaturization created circuits that were small enough to fit on your nightstand.

There is something comforting about the gentle sound of plastic on plastic as the panel flips down. It could be nostalgia or it could be a wish to have a comforting bit of analog in this digital world but in recent years, the flip clock has had a massive resurgence in popularity. There are hundreds of styles and shapes of these retro table clocks available on the market. One of the coolest, most well made, interesting and attractive versions of this retro classic is this Adjustable Auto Flip Clock.

This simple analog digital clock is made of stainless steel and runs on a single D battery that is inserted in the center mounted cylinder. Simply turn the wheel on the side to set the time. The actual mechanism is fully visible although it’s very simple. The readout is the classic retro black and white and is very easy to read even from a distance. It is great for the home, office or anywhere you really want to make an analog statement in this modern digital society.

I found a great price for this cool Adjustable Auto Flip Clock at Priceangles.com where you can buy one for only $43.75.

How would you like to build your own full size 7 ft tall, fully functional grandfather clock? Well unless you have years of experience in fine woodworking, this is probably something you are not going to attempt. Well, it may not be as hard as you think is you choose the right building materials.

When my son was 7 years old we bought him a small set of a plastic building toy called K’NEX. It is kind of like the modern-day answer to the old Erector Set. Over the years, we collected more and more sets and his building projects expanded to be more and more complex finally culminating in a huge 5 ft tall working Ferris Wheel. He is now in college studying to be an engineer. These massive building projects were constructed using a whole bunch of small plastic rods and connectors that snap together so easily that a child can do it.

The 7 Ft Grandfather Clock Kit uses over 9,000 of these brightly colored plastic pieces snapped together to form a complex but surprisingly easy to build structure that is solid and sturdy enough to bear the weight if the clocks movement, small motor that runs the pendulum, and the speaker that proudly chimes the familiar strains of the Westminster Quarters.

Now this is not a project for the faint of heart, it is estimated to take over 24 hours of dedicated effort to complete but the actual construction is far from strenuous. It is simply a matter of snapping the correct rod into the proper connector, then repeat, hundreds of times. An illustrated instruction book helps you out with clear, easy to follow instructions. The kit contains everything you need to build the grandfather clock. The package recommends 16 and over but there is no reason a younger child can’t aid in the actual snap together work.

The cool and colorful finished product stands just over 7 ft tall with a notched, traditional-style top, an open front that allows you to see the three-foot swinging pendulum and a broad, sturdy base. The clock face  has a traditional style with filigree decorations and tall, narrow roman numerals. The movement has narrow hands to mark the hour and minute and a delicate sweeping second hand. The clock and chime runs on three AA batteries but if you want the pendulum to move you need to plug it into the wall.

So if you are looking for a fun family project with a cool and functional finished product, The 7 Foot Grandfather Clock Kit is perfect. I have seen these kits going for as much as $1000 but the folks at Hammacher Schlemmer are offering cool modern answer to a grandfather clock for only $599.95.

Photo by: Freekee at en.wikipedia

World renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright has designed many things both great and small. Everything from skyscrapers to the smallest household items. When Wright designs a home, he doesn’t just design the house, he designs all the things inside the home from furnishings to lighting fixtures. The Bogk House Wall Clock was created to mimic a lighting fixture designed for the conservatory of the Frederick C. Bogk residence in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

The modern designed Bogk House Wall Clock has a similar Prairie Style design and closely reflects the look and feel of the Bogk House. It has a retro elegance and modern style that blends well even in a more traditional home’s decor. It has a clean, linear design that is representative of the Prairie Style of design.

The frame is lacquered in a clear finish that allow the natural warmth of the alder wood that the clock is constructed with. The square face of the clock is simple and devoid of numbers, instead using small brown squares to designate the 15 minute marks.  There are broad, easy to read hands and a delicate second hand that picks up the Prairie Style with a small square design element. A wooden pendulum moves back and forth behind the square bars of the alder wood cage. Although the Bogk House Wall Clock has a pendulum like a mechanical driven clock, the clock actually runs on battery power and a good quality and accurate quartz movement.

This cool wall clock is one of the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection by Bulova, a well-respected name in the world of timekeeping. The collection features a range of mantle and wall clocks inspired by some of  Wright’s most beloved works. Bulova’s tradition of quality materials, precision, craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology combine to make the Bogk House Wall Clock an heirloom quality choice for a retro wall clock.

You can get the modern style Bogk House Wall Clock and other clocks in the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection is available from Clockstyle.com at a discounted price and with free shipping.

Retro design legend George Nelson has created many cool retro starburst wall clocks in almost every size shape and material you can think of but one of the most popular takes on this timeless design is the Spoon and Fork Starburst Wall Clock. While this cutlery clock concept is often imitated it is rarely duplicated by the original classic design of the starburst clock master.

The Spoon and Fork Clock is a perfect kitchen clock but that is kind of a no brainer, it is also great for your dining room or for your favorite foodie, chef, cooking enthusiast or anyone who just loves retro starbusts clocks. It has a metallic face and tall modern looking numbers and it points the time with a small fork and knife as hour and minute hands, there is no second hand.

The Fork and Knife Starburst Wall Clock is made by Control Brands and while it is officially licensed by the George Nelson estate it is nowhere near the quality of many of many other Nelson clocks on the market like the beautiful clocks being reproduced by Vitra. Although it looks like metal it is actually made of some sort of metallic plastic material and it is pretty fragile, so you need to be careful when removing it from its packaging. This retro wall clock is strictly a novelty clock but once you get is up on the wall you need not worry about it bending or breaking. But it looks great and it is accurate and as whimsically retro as any of the George Nelson starburst clocks.

One other criticism I have is that the knife and fork clock hands are similar in color to the face of the clock making it somewhat difficult to read from a distance sometimes. Taken for what it is this is really a neat kitchen clock and should provide a uniquely modern touch to anyplace that involves the culinary arts.

This distinctly retro timepiece can go for as much as $60 – $75 dollars but I wouldn’t recommend paying that much for it. The best price I found The George Nelson Spoon and Fork Starburst Wall Clock was through Amazon for the bargain price of only $27.45.

It’s cool, it’s colorful, it’s the Watch Me Wall Clock by contemporary Danish designer Rasmus Gottliebsen. The boldly simplistic design of this cool modern wall clock has an iconic asterisk-shaped formed out of vividly colored rectangles of powder coated aluminum metal. It looks great in a child’s room, kitchen, artists studio or anywhere you are looking for a bright splash of color.

The Watch Me Wall Clock was inspired by a designer’s color swatch book fanned open and the resemblance is instantly recognizable to any graphic artist or graphic designer. This contemporary wall clock from Copenhagen-based Normann Copenhagen, makers of unusual, quirky and amusing home products of all kinds. It is perfect for anyone that appreciates bold bright colors and has a funky sense of design.

The white hour hand and black minute hand stand in cool and easy to read contrast to the colorful metal blades and are easy to read but there is no second hand if you are one of those that needs to hang on every second. The 11 1/4 in. diameter is the perfect size for almost any wall in your home and at only $53.00 the Watch Me Wall Clock from RoyalDesign.com and it makes a great gift for a friend or family member.

Want to see the Watch Me Wall Clock in action a get a better idea of what it looks like? Check out this video from Normann Copenhagen.

I admit it, not only am I a fan of cool and funky wall clocks, but I am also a huge fan of clock that use an alternative forms of keeping time. I guess that is why I was doomed from the start to love the Catena Wall Clock designed by Andreas Dober. This cool retro steam-punk style wall clock was designed for the German  Anthologie Quartett, a gallery and luxury store started in the early 80′s which features a collection of unique art, design and architectural items.

The Catena Wall Clock is a type pf timepiece called a hanging chain clock which is a very simple looking but extremely innovative type of mechanical clock that uses a very simple motor to turns a small, single, external sprocket. Hanging from the sprocket is a simple bicycle-style timing chain. In fact, the word “Catena” comes from the Latin word for chain. At the bottom a second, free-floating sprocket keeps the chain taut and rotating with precision.

As the hours tick by, the chain turns drawing the copper digits towards the top to designate the time. When each number reaches the top of the chain the Catena Wall Clock chimes out the hour. Reading the minutes can get a bit dodgy buy like most alternative timepieces, you get the hang of it after a while. If you are one of those that must have a second hand, forget about it, you wont hear any tick-tock coming from this smooth running mechanical clock.

The mechanical style of this functional work of art is very retro looking yet  it somehow seems contemporary at the same time making it a bit hard to classify. That may be another reason I love this clock, it almost always grabs attention and astonishment when people see it for the first time. Be ready for the inevitable questions ranging from “what is it?” to “how do you read it?”.

The Catena Wall Clock is not cheap though, this sculptural yet practical kinetic sculpture/timepiece costs around $2,564.00 and is available from UnicaHome.com.

Wake up in the 1970′s…or at least with this cool retro alarm clock from Infinity Instruments you can feel like you did. That 70′s Retro Alarm Clock in not like the new fangled digital alarm clocks that have an alarm that gently soothes you awake and is easily convinced to allow you nine more minutes of sack time.

The style is not the only thing retro about this baby, although with its rounded square face, 70′s style numerals on the dial, thick hour and minute hands and plastic lens it definitely looks like it was transported for around 1972. This thing wakes you up the way a clock from that crazy decade did as well, with a loud ringing and clanging bell and no second chance with a snooze alarm.

The big plastic button on the top either turns it on, or (thank heavens) off. It is loud too, not even the heaviest sleepers will stand a chance of sleeping through this retro alarm clock. Although I wouldn’t recommend this 1970′ style alarm clock for those who enjoy that blissfully warm, drowsy nine minutes of paradise before you have to again face the reality of your day.

Although That 70′s Retro Alarm Clock does look cool and groovy with its cheap plastic body, easy to read retro numbers and several colors of gaudy and garish vintage colors to choose from. You can buy the That 70′s Retro Alarm Clock in Cream with Red Face, or the slightly less tastefully colored Red with Cream Face with the opposite color scheme.

If those are a bit to flashy for your style is always the much more subtle but equally vintage looking Cream with a Navy Blue Face or the always popular and tasteful That 70′s Retro Alarm Clock in Cream with Brown Face, a very popular color in that memorable decade.

Each one of these is guaranteed to throw you back to the days of flared leg pant suits and the Captain and Tennille and will make sure you get up in time for that Led Zeppelin concert you don’t want to miss.