Mar 5, 2010
Aspiral Clocks
Here comes the revolutionary concept Aspiral Clocks designed by Will Aspinall and Neil Lambeth. How does it work? The clock face ever so slowly spirals over the course of twelve hours, moving a rolling ball precisely around, telling the time as it goes. Brilliant!
89 Comments, Comment or Ping
Blaine
Indeed, this is a much better way for people to start visualizing they’re concept of Time, a reminder the spiral winds, ever deepening.
Mar 5th, 2010
Ladymcneedy
WANT!!!
Mar 5th, 2010
Ladymcneedy
oh oh oh and FIRST!
Mar 5th, 2010
Taylor
That is freaking amazing.
Mar 5th, 2010
GIGI
THATS’S FREAKING AWESOME PANTS!!!!!!!!
Mar 5th, 2010
Coral
I WANT this on my wall. I love it!
Mar 5th, 2010
AlexsaZ
It would be absolutely brilliant if it also showed a second
Mar 5th, 2010
Kevn
Yes, want.
Mar 5th, 2010
olivia
all I can see is that clock falling off my wall and the balls rolling away never to return
Mar 5th, 2010
Nicole
Good gosh. Seriously, sell this. I will buy. 8D
Mar 5th, 2010
Daniel
That is pretty cool.
Hahaha, omg Blaine. I want to cry at that.
“The concept of time ever deepening” or some shit. Oh lordie!
Mar 6th, 2010
fffffuuuu
there is omly one ball olivia, the black ones are holes.
Mar 6th, 2010
Danny
where do i get one????
Mar 6th, 2010
todd
how do you adjust for daylight-savings?
Mar 6th, 2010
mehdi
the blaine shroom clock
Mar 6th, 2010
mike
Cool idea but… only problem is that you know the time with less and less accuracy as you get closer to noon or midnight….. they didnt even bother trying to put tick marks for 11-12 because the entire hour would be hidden by the ball.
Mar 6th, 2010
jayseatee
Where do i get this
Mar 6th, 2010
dizz
OMG I WANT ONE NOW WHERE DO I GET ONE
Mar 6th, 2010
Vinod
interesting !!!
Mar 6th, 2010
Paul Baines
Totally agree with Blaine, a perfect way to visualise the temporal field, as a spiral of course!
Mar 6th, 2010
Mary
I Love It!
Mar 6th, 2010
diki
where do i get?
Mar 6th, 2010
Vickie
AWESOME! I want atleast four (one for each of us in the family)!
Mar 6th, 2010
Terry O
Such a clever thing, yet so simple. It could even chime at twelve as th ball falls , Just for fun.
To me, everything is art, except art. 
As for art, this is to my taste, it’s satirical and fun and brilliant, because I love functional art, Some will say the opposite, functional can not be art. That is why they are they and we are me
Digress alert .Anyway!
Clocks are depressing but art and clocks are brilliant. LOL Now I can laugh like a crazy happy fool whenever I look at time swirling into the abyss of the spiral.
Mar 6th, 2010
jon
@mike
This clock wasn’t designed with complete accuracy in mind, it is an artistic and visual experience of time. It just simply looks cool. I would rather look at this clock than a wrist watch that is accurate to the millisecond. Instead of criticizing an ARTISTIC expression for something it wasn’t created to embody, why don’t you comment on the skilled artistry that was put into this peace.
Mar 6th, 2010
tiffany
mike, seriously? when it’s noon, it’s still bright and you’re awake. when it’s midnight, you’re asleep, if you’re not, you’d know it’s midnight and not noon because it’s freaking dark outside. that was one of the most dumbest questions ever.
and btw, I WANT THIS CLOCK! FREAKING FANTASTIC!!
Mar 6th, 2010
Ben
http://www.aspiralclocks.com/ Has them for sale.
Mar 6th, 2010
Sam
350 pounds for one of these?!?! Screw that, it’s not that cool!
Mar 7th, 2010
Dave
I have a screensaver like this clock… freeware too
http://www.jessonyip.com/analogy/
Mar 7th, 2010
Hobittual
Pretentious crap!
Mar 7th, 2010
Jim
How do you know when its 11:30?
Mar 7th, 2010
Aquene
Must have clock…Must have clock…
Mar 7th, 2010
zoe
I am a graphic designer, and on that level I think it rocks. But for me I would be unable to tell time, it visually is overwhelming for someone with ADD. But other than that it really is an amazing invention and cool way to look at time and art clocks.
Mar 8th, 2010
Potatoes
If you have to ask stupid questions, you don’t deserve one.
Mar 8th, 2010
Michael
sweet sweet sweet
Mar 8th, 2010
Phil E. Drifter
Boring and shitty.
Mar 8th, 2010
corey
i can see flavor flav wearin that
Mar 9th, 2010
DK
Blaine, you used the wrong “THEIR” idiot.
Mar 9th, 2010
RSS EYE
Thanks for this post .
Mar 9th, 2010
rwell
What mike is saying is that around 11 am or pm, approaching either midnight or noon, it’ll be hard to tell what time it is because the ball covers the entire hour. Is it 11:15 or 11:45, I don’t know? It’s definitely more for show (and a very nice show at that) but it’d be cooler if it was more functional as well.
Mar 10th, 2010
Pereira
Cool,, I love it
Mar 10th, 2010
allisonakemi@yahoo.com
Can you please send me information on how to order an aspiral clock?
Mar 10th, 2010
Li Nguyen
I’m loving this. Definitely something I’d include in my own place.
Mar 10th, 2010
Natalie
AHH SO AWESOME I WANT ONE.
Mar 10th, 2010
Zach
Brilliant idea except i think that there could be some improvements. For one, the spinning mass should have a minute hand on it that would point to a stationary minute indicator on the outside. Secondly, it should rotate once per hour so that it would be easier to read and make more intuitive sense. What hour the time is could then be indicated by the level of the spiral its on. I don’t mean to knock it, i think this is genius! I LOVE IT.
Mar 11th, 2010
Jim
This clock is really quite interesting.
Knowing the way it moves would help a lot, especially in regards to setting the clock properly. I love the challenge to perspective and don’t find the cognitive adjustment too burdensome. My one “improvement”, to echo Zach a bit, would be to change the direction of the spiral.
The direction the ball (the hand) moves in relation to the face is a counterclockwise motion, even though the spiral moves clockwise. Moving counterclockwise with my vision to track between the hours went a bit too much against the grain.
Love the creativity.
Mar 12th, 2010
bruce
hopefully there’s something in there that keeps it from going thunk! twice a day
Mar 12th, 2010
Amber
this makes me dizzy..
Mar 12th, 2010
Hehe.
Haha, Todd. Good point, but also funny!
Absolutely want it. GIMME GIMME.
Mar 13th, 2010
Woot
I farted.
Mar 13th, 2010
Stephanie
ya. its incredibly cute && i love it but how overpriced is it?
Mar 13th, 2010
Kelly
CAN I BUY ONE?
AMAZINGGGGG!!
Mar 14th, 2010
Hanz fukker
Who ever invented this is almost as good as the furher himself, but indeed this is a special mechine to rule the world I must inform the world leaders about this dooms day device! You will suffer the consequences!
Mar 14th, 2010
Barbara
woooooooooow quiero unoooooo.. pero YA!
Mar 14th, 2010
Seb
This is one silly way of wasting money and time.
I wonder what is “so much better” about this way of visualizing time.
Sounds like just another silly comment from a silly person that would buy this silly clock.
Mar 15th, 2010
Jenz
I think this clock is gorgeous. For me, it’s something I would definitely buy (assuming i could afford it) because I *always* have a phone or watch with me. If I didn’t, I’d hate it because I have to have the time available to me all day otherwise I get pretty wound up not knowing. Maybe that’s just me but *shrug* this clock isn’t accurate enough by itself.
However, I think it’s a wonderful looking clock which I would be more than happy to have on my wall. As other people have mentioned, there are a few things which could be done to improve it but as a concept it’s brilliant (imo). =3
Mar 15th, 2010
Jenz
Having had another look, I think that, yes, the spiral’s direction should be changed.
Also, I think the clock is accurate enough for me (since there are 15, 30 and 45 marks) with the exception of 11 - 12 o’clock. Having seen this, I think it would almost be fine by itself for most of the day. It’s annoying that between 11 and 12 you don’t have enough space but if you like the design, that’s a sacrifice you have to make, I guess. =P
With regards to Zach’s comments, I think he’s right about how it would be a good idea to have a stationary minute section but I don’t think that’s a vital addition. I disagree with what he said about making the clock take a full turn each hour - I think there would be too much lost from this design to do that, but I could be wrong (I’m hardly an expert in such things =P). In my mind, it would look better as it is.
Mar 15th, 2010
Kevin
really cool
Mar 16th, 2010
Alus
I would buy this… SELL ME ONE RIGHT NOW!!!
Mar 16th, 2010
Ogwen Evans
cool clock!
Mar 20th, 2010
aspinall@aspiralclocks.com
Hello
Thank you all for the comments on the Aspiral clock, with some very considered responses to it. I’d thought I’d try and answer a couple of the biggest debates:
Reading the time between 11-12.
It’s true that the last hour -if you look at the ball- makes very hard accurate reading. I see it as like watching an eclipse happen -fun but not functional. However, you can actually gauge the time well by looking at the outer hole as it rotates. Each hour is 150 degrees, each minute 2.5. With training (ie having one on your wall!) it becomes second nature.
Anti-clockwise turn
Funnily enough the 2nd prototype was designed to turn anti-clockwise rather than clockwise. To Neil and myself it just looked weird… as reading the time was already different, we didn’t want to make it any more counter-intuitive.
Anyway, do email me if you would like one, or catch us at the gadget show in the UK early April.
Will
Mar 21st, 2010
ares
must have!!
Mar 26th, 2010
Zelda
Wow! Where can I get one?
Mar 28th, 2010
guest 123
i want it
Mar 29th, 2010
Jake
So… in the middle of the night you’re going to hear the ball clonking down to the bottom? How loud will that be?
Mar 31st, 2010
offduty
i love the frickin people trying to pick on it and rip on it - is it because thats not your name under the invention everone else likes? lets see what you can build and impress us all - nice work guys and very cool clocks - i would buy one!!
Mar 31st, 2010
chelsea
Please; it is not only a clock, but art. You are entitled to your opinion, as am I; but I have got to disagree with you completely. I believe it is more for looking for pleasure, rather than accuracy and usefulness.
Apr 1st, 2010
chelsea
Although, personally, I believe it to be correct. Although, it would take time to adjust to reading it.
Apr 1st, 2010
Roshan
We must have it. Thank you
Apr 2nd, 2010
Ben Koshkin
Really unusual, perfect as a gift for people who like modern decorated homes.
Ben Koshkin
Apr 4th, 2010
hi!
TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME PANTS!!! OMG!
Apr 13th, 2010
Rich Rosen
Your clock is amazingly unique.
Where may I obtain this?
I am in the good ol’ USA…..Pittsburgh, PA
and this clock would be a wonderful addition to a creativity workshop I will be giving in October in South Africa.
My topic is on TIME !
Thank you for your expected response,
Rich ROsen
Apr 29th, 2010
Millenion
great idea but usless.
May 14th, 2010
algdfa
Well, that’s a great idea! I like it!
Jun 22nd, 2010
thedude
Okay, so it’s just a novel way at looking at the face of a clock to tell time. But, I mean, WTF for?
Jun 24th, 2010
breix
indeed awsome!
But it cost almost 500€…a little expensive!
Jun 25th, 2010
mammal-sauce
These arent earthquake approved…i feel insecure…
Jun 27th, 2010
Erik
Neat and original , but when i need the time , i need the time , digital display preferably
great post!! thanks for sharing !!
Jun 30th, 2010
Jorge Campos
hey guys,
really am a huge fan of your work. where can one obtain one of these clocks and for how much?
thanks a lot
Jorge
Aug 19th, 2010
Marina
i would love to have one!
how much and where can i get it?????
Aug 22nd, 2010
paulshu
ahh this is wondrous! awesome concept, they really make you think about time and its ever opening chasm.
Aug 22nd, 2010
Anastasí
Seriously tiffany? mike didn’t mean that the clock doesn’t tell you whether it is noon or midnight, he meant that if the time is between 11:00 and 12:00 you wouldn’t be able to tell the time because the ball would go into the first hole at 11 and not come out till 12.
Aug 24th, 2010
Psychaotipath
can get it spiraling in the reverse direction?
Aug 24th, 2010
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