Citizen's reversible atomic clock

Sure, atomic clocks are pretty handy (if you're able to get a reliable signal, something we've never been able to do in NYC). But why settle for just any atomic clock when you can get one that has a customizable face so you can use 24-hour military time? Or how about reversing the numbers and running the motor backwards, so that it becomes a time machine you can look at it in a mirror? That's the idea behind this wall clock from Citizen, available in Japan and Korea. We suspect a lot of people will let it run backwards all the time just to confuse the heck out of anyone who sees it. We know we would.

[Via the Red Ferret]

[Conrad Quilty-Harper @ Feb 3rd 2006 1:12PM]

Haha! Reading engadget's worth it just for the witty writing.

[Tom Taborda @ Feb 3rd 2006 1:56PM]

the reversed wall clock is called 'Barber-Shop-Clock', for the customer to check the time, at the mirror the clock on the wall behind him.

:-)

[LMidnight @ Feb 3rd 2006 2:16PM]

it's not actually an atomic clock, it's a radio controlled clock. the radio signal comes from an atomic clock...

[Dale @ Feb 3rd 2006 2:37PM]

Um. Ok.

Slow day?

[theCardinal @ Feb 3rd 2006 3:07PM]

#3: Obviously. Have you seen the size of atomic clocks? Most commercial clocks/watches claiming to be atomic work in the way you've described.

[R Smith @ Feb 3rd 2006 3:30PM]

I'm a fan

[XGM @ Feb 3rd 2006 4:38PM]

Now thats cool, ill have to get one to confuse the heack out of people. Seeing #3 comment i might not be able to get it here in Canada?

[Snard @ Feb 3rd 2006 5:12PM]

The mirror version also works well if you happen to have been transported to an anti-matter universe, where everything is mirror image. Then at least the clock would look correct.

[gezepi @ Feb 3rd 2006 5:14PM]

We have a (regular) backwards clock that always messes people up. With a little practice you can get pretty good at reading it.
It's cool you can also use military time.

[Nathaniel Dean @ Feb 3rd 2006 5:24PM]

I've had this happen to me before. I had an analog wristwatch for the longest time, and one day when I woke up it was running backwards. It was still settable though, and made for some interesting looks when I translated the time for people. The thing is, sometimes an analog watch will have a gear slip out of place, and if it's a normal gear and not one of the scaling gears, the loss of that gear will cause the watch hands to reverse direction.

I wish the watch still worked, but it doesn't; broke down little over a year after it reversed direction. Wore digital watches ever since.

[Alex @ Feb 3rd 2006 6:30PM]

Most simple wall clocks can be made into "cool" backwards running clocks by simply putting the batteries in backwards.

[bakersdozen @ Feb 3rd 2006 8:34PM]

lol time machine. keep up with the comedy engadget

-bd

[nizzy1115 @ Feb 4th 2006 2:21AM]

My guess is it wont be long before we see a lawsuit unfolding about these clocks as one person reads them literally and ends up late for something, inwich he would promptly sue the owner of the clock...

[Peter Orosz @ Feb 4th 2006 6:26AM]

reminds me of the think different watch my mom got me for my birthday a few years back. it's an apple watch that runs backward: http://redlightrunner.com/whitthindifw.html

[paolo @ Feb 4th 2006 10:49AM]

Ehm what's with military time thing ? Most contries other than US of A use the 24 hour mode. And for the miror thing. Mathematicly, clockwise is going backwards, think of the cartisian plan.

[Steve Gink @ Mar 5th 2006 10:23AM]

Very interesting information, thanks for sharing.

I have a small site about Atomi Clocks too, please have a look http://www.atomic-clocks.org/

thanks, Steve

[Rick Beethe @ Mar 11th 2008 10:51PM]

I want one !!!! But I'm in the US and don't read/speak Japanese or Korean. Is this still made? This is the only one of these I've seen.

I have a backwards clock in my cube but not as cool as this one.

! swdrawkcaB