Video: Continue Time wall clock articulates in weird, wondrous ways

It's hard to say why fanciful clocks really get our juices flowin' -- after all, it's not like we're in any hurry to watch the best moments of our lives tick away -- but Sander Mulder's Continue Time is certainly amongst the classiest timepiece designs that we've seen. More than just a concept, this limited edition (just 20 were made) masterpiece is engineered to be wall mounted, boasting an articulating arm that pivots and swivels in order to display the current time to those with the appropriate vision. In the artist's words: "on this clock, two out of the three pointers rotate around another pointer, instead of the central point on the clock face, as with traditional clocks." It's a thing of beauty, innit? Hop on past the break for a mesmerizing clip.

[Via Unplggd]

[wodahS @ Jul 17th 2009 8:46AM]

Looks dangerous.

[htowngator @ Jul 17th 2009 8:45AM]

Pretty cool.... but not going to pay what they want for that.

[Adam @ Jul 17th 2009 4:05PM]

I'll wait for Ikea to copy it. :P

[Haikibutsu @ Jul 17th 2009 8:46AM]

I want this now.

[unzarjones @ Jul 17th 2009 10:19AM]

Whoa! I thought you had a ransom pic of my kid's pigs.

[Pre-determined @ Jul 17th 2009 8:48AM]

tech new slow today...seemingly :|

[DonD @ Jul 17th 2009 9:10AM]

This was posted at 8:48am...a little quick to call it a slow news day

[ilovethewaggle @ Jul 17th 2009 3:22PM]

Its after 3 and its still on the first page...its a slow news day.

[Daniel @ Jul 17th 2009 8:48AM]

so what time is it at the end? 11:45? or like 11:35? is it where the point of the arm is, or the direction it is pointing which determines how you read it?

[Indefinite Implosion @ Jul 17th 2009 9:03AM]

If you need to be told, you'll never know.

[fistpittingnork @ Jul 17th 2009 9:25AM]

The short hand is hours, the long hand is minutes, and the skinny hand is seconds.

Imagine each hand still coming from the same axis like a traditional clock, look at where each hand is pointing, imagining the face of a clock.

For example, the image above, the time is 8:10:03.

Make sense?

[Daniel @ Jul 17th 2009 9:30AM]

are you sure it isn't 2:10:03?

[ReknapS @ Jul 17th 2009 9:33AM]

Looks like 2:40:10 to me

[Aquis @ Jul 17th 2009 9:37AM]

I thought it was around 2:40:05...

[Ethos @ Jul 17th 2009 9:44AM]

I thought 2:40 as well.

[giuliop @ Jul 17th 2009 9:47AM]

If the short hand is hours, I wonder why it seems to be moving faster than the long hand.

But never mind, a subjectively read clock was all we needed.

[Dr. Evil Genius @ Jul 17th 2009 10:04AM]

The clock at the end was clearly reading 11:40. The base arm is the hour and was almost pointing straight up from the left.

[Chasqui @ Jul 17th 2009 10:37AM]

Are you sure its not 4:20 ?

[gtaylor99 @ Jul 17th 2009 11:22AM]

http://sandermulder.com/continue_time.html

According to the website, the time is 1:43:03

[Nicholas @ Jul 17th 2009 11:35AM]

based on his website it is long arm = hours, middle arm = minutes, short = seconds, which make sense even if it isn't like a normal clock.

[Reggie @ Jul 17th 2009 8:59AM]

Looks like it was copied from: http://www.handinhandclock.com/

[nrb @ Jul 17th 2009 10:39AM]

It sure does. When I saws the vid, I found it interesting, but knew had to have been done before. Probably several times. This one just got on Engadget.

[Johnathan @ Jul 17th 2009 8:59AM]

I really want one

[Sharif @ Jul 17th 2009 9:00AM]

ME WANT! Recession antidote please?

[Galley @ Jul 17th 2009 9:15AM]

That makes my brain hurt.

[danoyler @ Jul 17th 2009 9:23AM]

Kinda cool but ...its a clock....it would be a conversation piece for about..5 minutes? maybe. Then the novelty would be gone.

[Scott @ Jul 17th 2009 9:25AM]

That is a pretty cool clock. Not entirely sure how to read it, but I have only watched the video once. Still, that would look pretty sweet on a wall.

[Choco_Bear @ Jul 17th 2009 9:43AM]

Why isn't my comment showing...?

[Choco_Bear @ Jul 17th 2009 9:46AM]

Oops, there it is.

This clock is cool, shame I can't tell what time it is though.

[Ethos @ Jul 17th 2009 9:47AM]

It would be awesome to have in a sitting-room by it selfs on a blank wall.

[Choco_Bear @ Jul 17th 2009 9:47AM]

2:40:10 makes sense to me.

[Gert @ Jul 17th 2009 10:20AM]

I wish they'd release cnc files, so i could hijack one of the cnc machines at my work during breaks and craft this beauty.

[Josh @ Jul 17th 2009 10:43AM]

It would be cool to see once an hour when all of the hands are fully extended, such as 3:15:15

[egghead @ Jul 17th 2009 11:35AM]

Technically, only twice a day 00:00:00 and 12:00:00, although they come fairly close to being fully extended multiple times. Now, an interesting thing would be to find out at what time to freeze the hands for packaging (i.e. when the hour and seconds are in alignment with the minute hand in opposition). There is never a time at which they will line up perfectly this way, but I think they come within a 12 degree arc at some point, probably closer.

[nomrebsplz @ Jul 17th 2009 6:21PM]

6:00:30?

[Michgar @ Jul 17th 2009 10:54AM]

Brilliant, and elegant.

[randombloke @ Jul 17th 2009 11:27AM]

Needs:
1xWiimote
3xIR LEDs
1xProjector
1xSoftware to project the appropriate faces onto the wall behind the clock, continually centred on the hands as they move.

Make the three faces red, green, and blue to get some interesting effects as they inevitably overlap.

[Tanner @ Jul 17th 2009 11:56AM]

I just want to see high noon. This thing would need some clearance from other wall objects and the ceiling.

[Septimus @ Jul 17th 2009 12:09PM]

I was thinking the exact same thing. It would need to be smack in the middle of a large wall. Quarter to nine / quarter past 3 must be a bitch. Thing has to be nailed hard to the wall.

[Chudilo @ Jul 17th 2009 12:24PM]

Did you see them offering a screensaver with the same clock?
It displays the clock on a white background!
OMFG that'll save your screen REALLY WELL!
Are people seriously that stupid?

[10minutehobo @ Jul 17th 2009 12:43PM]

Some people just use screensavers because they want to.

I'll bet most people don't even know WHY they're called "screen-savers".

[egghead @ Jul 17th 2009 12:58PM]

What's funny is when someone has a 'screen-saver' that is displaying a practically static image. Of course, with LCDs it's not really of issue, but still! Plus, most of the new 'screen-savers' are processor and graphics hogs which taxes the processor more in 15 minutes than most people would in a full working day.

[blackfeather @ Jul 17th 2009 2:03PM]

So, does it gain a minute every hour, or have they slowed down the minute hand to rotate at only 1:59th the rate of the hour hand?

[blackfeather @ Jul 17th 2009 2:03PM]

wait - that was stupid.

[ky @ Jul 17th 2009 3:00PM]

sweet clock

[GroovDude @ Jul 17th 2009 5:01PM]

I'm confused, is that a clock or a clock that is wanting to kill me in interprative dancing?

[tomokazu.osada @ Jul 18th 2009 8:02PM]

i couldn't tell what time it was. it nees to be computerized.

tomo

[Pre-determined @ Jul 19th 2009 8:59PM]

Pre-determined @ Jul 17th 2009 8:48AM

tech new slow today...seemingly :|


DonD @ Jul 17th 2009 9:10AM

This was posted at 8:48am...a little quick to call it a slow news day


ilovethewaggle @ Jul 17th 2009 3:22PM

Its after 3 and its still on the first page...its a slow news day.


Thanks ilovethewaggle...I'm up at this time every day reading Engadget... i know "filler" when I see it...because the morning shift is usually gadget worthy. 2 days later and still on first page of comments.

[Certified Ninjician @ Jul 23rd 2009 6:25PM]

I just received a pre-order email...

There are 40 worldwide limited editions plus an artists copy and a couple prototypes.
The price is 4999 euro, inclusive of shipping, taxes, duty, sold out means sold out
Down payment of 2000 euro is required 14 days after order is invoiced
Expected to ship end of 2009