Missed out on a Cathode Corner Nixie Watch the first time it came out? Well, you get a chance to score one again, as they’ve got a fresh batch of the retro-geeky timepiece available right now.
First thrust upon the world in 2005, the timepiece uses Nixie tubes enclosed underneath a mineral glass cover to tell time. Yes, those vacuum tube-lookalikes with the orange glow that was used in voltmeters and frequency counters from over forty years ago.
The Nixie Watch uses a lightweight aircraft aluminum case to hold the tech, measuring 2.2 inches in diameter and 0.79 inch in thickness. All the internal components are visible from the glass display, including the tubes, battery, high-voltage power supply and setting controls. The back of the case has a ribbed cover that can be easily removed for replacing the battery yourself (the product website says batteries need to be replaced every four months if used daily).
It uses a pair of B-5870 type Nixie tubes, each one displaying one digit. Time is displayed in either 12- or 24-hour modes, with the hours appearing first and the minutes after that. An onboard tilt sensor alerts the watch that you’re looking at the time, prompting it to activate the display (yep, that dude trying to check the time across the table won’t see anything).
Sure, the Cathode Corner Nixie Watch is far from the prettiest wrist candy you can find. If you like your watches geeky and just plain weird, though, this can probably trump the best Tokyoflash timepiece you’ve got on the dresser. It’s available directly from the product website, priced at $395.
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