GoKawiilis a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
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Dieter Rams already showed the world that something as mundane as an alarm clock can be beautiful. Balmuda, a Japanese company best known for its steam-infused toasters, has released a travel-friendly alarm clock simply called The Clock. Its minimalist dial is reminiscent of Braun’s iconic alarm clocks but goes one step further by replacing traditional moving hands with subtle illuminated accents.
Machined from a single block of aluminum, the Clock stands about four inches tall including a carrying loop and control dial and weighs around 260 grams. Its illumination system, which the company calls Light Hour, features glowing numbers representing 12 hours with minutes and seconds displayed as a concentric ring of tick marks. Animations are used to show the passage of time. The Clock is currently available in Japan for ¥59,400, or around $375, but the company hasn’t announced plans to make it available internationally yet.
Animated numbers and markers on the Clock’s dial show the passage of time and indicate other functions. Image: Balmuda
The alarm clock was designed by Balmuda founder Gen Terao, who wanted help falling asleep at night. He needed an alternative to playing rain sounds on a bright, distracting tablet. That desire resulted in three primary functions for the Clock. There’s a Relax Time mode that plays one of several original recordings that include sounds like falling rain, a fireplace, and a babbling river. Those sounds are also used for the Clock’s alarms, which quietly start playing three minutes before your preset wake-up time, and gradually get louder to ensure they’re not missed.
There’s a focus mode, which can be set from one to 60 minutes, that plays white noise through the Clock’s stereo speakers to help reduce distractions. There’s also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connecting to a mobile app that makes it easier to program and customize the Clock. However, its battery life is estimated to max out at just 24 hours of continuous usage. Having to charge your bedside alarm clock every day might be a tough sell.