Clocks are one of those gadgets that we don’t realize how important they are to our lives until we are left without one. Luckily, most cellphones these days come with a clock and alarm built right in, but for some people, this just isn’t enough. Some of us need that little (or sometimes, huge) extra boost of motivation to pull those covers away from our bodies. The 12 clocks which follow are not for the light-hearted or those with high-blood pressure. These take the word clock, and bring it to the extreme.

So, without further adieu, we present to you the 12 Coolest Extreme Clocks That You’ll Never Own. Read on, brotha’. (more…)

These Bonsai Gear Clocks are named after their brilliantly intuitive design. A set of clock gears meshed together to resemble a bonsai tree. Made with ABS plastic gears, metal stem and a wooden base, the Bonsai Gear Clock runs on 2x D batteries (yeah, the big ones).

The very slick design is a beautiful mix of technological invention and the beauty of nature. It can be yours for $90. — Andrew Dobrow

Link [via]

Us nerds are always on the look out for funky new watches to don on our wrists. This Zihotech Showa Wrist Watch is no different. Designed to look like an old time telephone, the retro-themed watch will be sure to draw attention to your overused wrist.

The watch tells time like no other. To hear what time it is, you must dial 117 on the rotary style keys, at which point, a voice speaks from the speaker in the center of the watch, dictating the time. If you ring a wrong number, the oh-so-familiar voice clocks in giving the spiel, “We’re sorry, the number you have dialed can not be reached at this time…” Available now for $52. — Andrew Dobrow

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Somethings we’ll never understand, but we learn to accept them as certainties. What is our geeky obsession with cool clocks and watches? We don’t have an answer for that question, but we do have incentive for you to join our excitement. The Four Cubes Clock is a snazzy tabletop timepiece consisting of…well, four cubes that display the time, two designated for the hour and two for the minutes.

The cubes are connected through a wire that allows the cubes to be switched up regularly, which would make for a pretty funny practical joke to play on the owner. The clock is powered by 3 AA batteries. At first, people would look at it and be all like “why does my good friend have random number cubes sitting on his desk?”. And then, common sense will strike and they’ll feel moronic. All that’s left to do is give yourself a pat on the back for your genius design habits.

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Coming to you from Japan is the Retro Dot LED clock. This snazzy looking gizmo comes in your choice of blue or green LED’s and is a minimalistic beauty. The clock display features circular LED’s rather than the traditional long slashes. If you take a look at it, the dots really make the difference in making this a unique clock.

Another feature that caught our eye is the clock’s ability to automatically sync time via radio broadcast signal waves. In light of day light savings time and the inconvenience of having to alter our schedule to change our clock times, we thought this might make a few people excited. Available for Â¥6,300 ($54). — Andrew Dobrow

Link (translated from Japanese) [via]

Apparently, China isn’t as cuddly with the free world as we thought them to be. Aside from blocking our sites from their Internet networks, they also seemed to be propaganda pros. Spitting out these tin Propaganda Revolution Clocks for every Chinese family to sport proudly. Sure, the clocks were produced from 1966-76, but that really isn’t even that long ago. It’s really scary if you think about it.

These clocks are the real deal. Actual retro political clocks which are now being sold from British-Asian, Lei, to collectors for monetary gain. Isn’t communism hysterically ironic? Proclaim your love for Chairman Mao and order one to display on your end table. Available for £25 through money order or by calling the shop in London. — Andrew Dobrow

Rouge-Shop UK [via Retro To Go]