Eye Clock

Before you start rolling your eyes at this crazy designer clock, we should tell you that it’s not some newfangled idea. Believe it or not, it’s based on a classic design patented in the 1920s. But don’t let that put you off because the quirky Eye Clock looks incredibly contemporary.

As you can see, this sleek timepiece uses a pair of pupils to indicate the time. Left eye ‘looks’ to the hours, right eye ‘looks’ to the minutes. Once you‘ve got your head around the concept it’s a doddle. Big hand pointing to the twelve? Pah!

An eye-deal gift for hip clock watchers bored of all that big hand/little hand business, the battery-operated Eye Clock is guaranteed to attract befuddled but admiring glances wherever you choose to plonk it. You can even try replicating its wonky eyeball action with your own mince pies. ‘3.15? Ooh, me pupils!’ (Apparently Robbie Williams was playing with his Eye Clock before he went on X Factor. We think).

If playing daft eye games isn’t your thing, why not impress guests with a little design history? ‘Rolling eye’ clocks – sometimes featuring comedy heads surrounding the eyes – were rather popular back in pre-war Germany. Then again so were shouty men with small moustaches, so it’s probably best to keep schtum and enjoy the simple but effective aesthetics of this chic little gizmo.

We think the Eye Clock is one of the coolest desktop doodahs we’ve seen in ages. Why, you wouldn’t even guess it was a clock unless…well, unless you’d just been reading all about it. And you have, so get ordering. The eyes have it!