A minimalist alarm clock specially designed to wake you up gently.
It’s early morning, and a blaring alarm clock jolts you up from deep sleep with a bang. If that thought makes you wince, we have some good news for you. One Clock is an analog timepiece that wakes you up slowly, in a natural way. At the same time, it aims to make your bedroom a tranquil sanctuary. The design came to be after the Boulder, Colorado-based One Clock founders decided to create an alternative to classic alarm clocks and smartphone alarms. Driven by a desire to bring slow living principles to the morning routine, they made a simple and tactile product that doesn’t have any unnecessary screens, buttons, or apps. Indeed, One Clock only does two things: it shows the time and it uses thoughtful music to wake the user up. And to create it, the team turned to science for help. More specifically, to sonic science.
Using science to create the perfect waking music.
As waking up gently greatly affects our mood and behavior, finding the right sounds to gradually activate the brain became a priority for the One Clock team. They partnered with a sonic strategist who created a detailed brief of the best tones, frequencies, instruments, and tempos for the music. Grammy-winning musician Jon Natchez then used that brief to create an original soundtrack specially for the One Clock. As a result, the clock’s music has a few key features that sets it apart from regular music. Apart from gradually increasing in volume and slowly building up in intensity, the music also has a strong melody that incorporates instruments like woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion, along with the human voice. The songs have a tone between 200-1000hz, which matches the range of human speech. Finally, they are random to eliminate alarm fatigue and to keep the brain engaged.
One Clock is also beautifully designed and crafted. It features a timeless aesthetic and a blend of tactile, sustainably sourced materials: solid wood, powder-coated aluminum, and glass. Safe to say, it’s a clock built to last for generations. Completely analog, the clock has no screens, apps or Bluetooth connectivity. It comes with a Swiss-designed movement and a Tectonic Labs BMR speaker. Plus, it’s 100% silent when not playing music and has low light emissions for a good night’s sleep. Other features include a touch-sensitive night light, a USB-C connection, and an internal backup power system. The timepiece currently comes in White or Black versions, both of them designed with a solid white oak front. Photography© One Clock.
