Table Clock / Hay
The Table Clock is Jasper Morrison's 2008 wall clock adapted, in 2023, to sit on a desk. It rests on a detachable aluminium stand, and because the stand comes off, the same clock can be hung on a wall: two roles from one object, with no added complexity. The movement uses a sweep seconds hand that produces almost no tick, so it suits quiet rooms. The body is recycled plastic with an acrylic lens and the aluminium stand, measuring 13 by 8 by 14.5cm, in a range of muted colours. There is no alarm, no backlight, nothing beyond showing the time. Morrison coined the phrase super normal for objects that work by doing nothing surprising, and the clock is a direct expression of that idea.
Design intent
- +It treats telling the time as a complete function in itself, with no alarm or extra utility bolted on.
- +A silent sweep movement and a detachable stand give it two placements, desk or wall, without adding parts or controls.
Trade-offs
- -With no alarm it is a poor fit as a bedside clock for most people.
- -The recycled-plastic body feels light in the hand in a way that can read as inexpensive next to its price.
The Table Clock is Jasper Morrison's 2008 wall clock adapted, in 2023, to sit on a desk. It rests on a detachable aluminium stand, and because the stand comes off, the same clock can be hung on a wall: two roles from one object, with no added complexity. The movement uses a sweep seconds hand that produces almost no tick, so it suits quiet rooms. The body is recycled plastic with an acrylic lens and the aluminium stand, measuring 13 by 8 by 14.5cm, in a range of muted colours. There is no alarm, no backlight, nothing beyond showing the time. Morrison coined the phrase super normal for objects that work by doing nothing surprising, and the clock is a direct expression of that idea.
Design intent
- +It treats telling the time as a complete function in itself, with no alarm or extra utility bolted on.
- +A silent sweep movement and a detachable stand give it two placements, desk or wall, without adding parts or controls.
Trade-offs
- -With no alarm it is a poor fit as a bedside clock for most people.
- -The recycled-plastic body feels light in the hand in a way that can read as inexpensive next to its price.
