Blog
Stories of Sound
and Sleep:

OneClock Talks / Part One / Why

  • Jamie Kripke

OneClock founder / designer (and second-generation clockmaker) Jamie Kripke discusses the who, what, where, and why of OneClock in this multi-part video series.

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Go Dark

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Waking up to sunlight streaming in through the windows is a great pleasure, but is it worth sacrificing your health and wellbeing? When it comes to good sleep, there is beauty in darkness.

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Make Something Wonderful

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

The newly presented archive of Apple founder Steve Jobs prompts a reflection on why we love the personal computer.

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Tis the Gift to Be Simple

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

With unlimited access to content of all kinds, we can house a lot of ideas in our brains. How do we practice mental minimalism?

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OneClock Reads: The Creative Act

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Legendary music producer Rick Rubin’s book “The Creative Act” inspires a way of being that extends far beyond the studio.

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Loving and Leaving

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

What if we told you that the best way to have good sex was by keeping your bed to yourself—by sleeping alone?

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We’re Listening

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Contemporary listening lounges draw on the jazz kissa, a 100-year-old Japanese tradition involving vinyl records, cocktails, and high-fidelity audio equipment.

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Midwinter Days

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

On Finding Meaning in Winter: There’s a lot to love about winter, if you’re looking for it.

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Waking up to the Power of Naps

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

There are precious few things you can do in your life that will have a greater positive impact on your health, mood, and longevity on Earth than sleep—and not all of it has to happen at night. If your energy wanes and you find yourself dreaming of nodding off soon after lunch, rest assured. You’re not the only one with sleep on the brain.

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Rewrap the Gift

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Our holiday traditions around giving and receiving are due for a redux. Here are our tips.

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How Do You Sleep at Night?

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Your chronotype determines when and how well you sleep, and much about how you feel while awake—but few people know what theirs is, or how to live in harmony with it.

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OneClock Reads: Super Normal

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

In Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary designers Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fakasawa draw our attention to the phenomenon of everyday objects.

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Get Up!

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Tune your body and mind with some Valentine’s Day morning sex. Or, why we recommend getting down while waking up.

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Fitter, Happier, More Productive?

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

The near constant use of technology in contemporary life can be overwhelming, affecting our health and relationships. Use a less-is-more approach to find physical, mental, and emotional balance in a world dominated by devices.

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Buy Nothing, Sleep In / Thoughts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

As the Black Friday alarm rings at its early hour, we invite you to make a new ritual of sleeping in. And then, once you wake up? Go sit and have coffee with your mom, dad, kids, neighbor, or dog. Watch the sun travel across the kitchen window. Appreciate. Connect. Make it a thing.

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In Your Dreams

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

Humans spend several years dreaming, yet this phenomenon remains mysterious in both purpose and meaning.

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A New Way for the New Year

  • Vanessa Kauffman Zimmerly

It’s that time again! The New Year invites us to set intentions for self-improvement and change. Here’s how you can best prepare for a successful refresh.

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The Snooze Button is your Frenemy

  • Jamie Kripke

If you find the idea of quitting the Snooze button intimidating, look at it this way: Snoozing does not equal sleeping. Snoozing is a sad, stressful imitation of real sleep.

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Scaring Yourself Awake

  • Jamie Kripke

From the adrenal gland’s point of view, there’s no difference between the shock of that blaring alarm and the sight of an incoming tsunami. And why would you want to start your day like that?

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A Brief History of Alarm Clocks

  • Jamie Kripke

It seems clear that the need for alarm clocks will never go away. But if the 1787 version of the U.S. Constitution can be amended 27 times, can’t we evolve our alarm clocks, too?

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Product Before Price

  • Jamie Kripke

We set out to make exactly what we wanted, not what the market wanted. The price is what it is because that’s where the price ended up once we'd designed the clock we wanted.

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1000 True Fans

Now that a few OneClocks are out in the wild, we’re getting some good feedback, and thought it would be nice to start a running compilation, as a reminder of why we’re doing this. This exercise was inspired in part by Kevin Kelly’s essay 1000 True Fans, which (to paraphrase) is about aiming for a really strong, direct connection with a small, unique group, rather than trying to make something for everyone.

Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order:

“Just wanted to say that I am LOVING our new clock. It's truly life changing. Waking up is actually dreamy now. Thank you. Best of luck to keep it going and help more people wake up beautifully”

"I woke up today early to female angels. Yesterday it was heavy toned strings. I look forward to what tomorrow brings. For the last 12 years I have needed to wake up around 5am. This allows me to beat traffic and get a few hours of thinking in before the hustle of the day. I just started utilizing your clock this week. It works really well and is intentional in all aspects. Each day has brought a new positive sound to me first thing. I appreciate that and you two for seeing your idea through."

"The acapella humming the other day!! 😍 Made its way into a dream I was having. It was perfect."

“Beautiful, amazing clock. Y’all created something that makes people want to hear an alarm. That’s impressive.“

"Keep up the greatness. I really love this clock, and hope other creators will take inspiration from your work. All the things you didn’t do (connectivity, charge port, etc. etc.) + what you did on the build quality and how you *did* use technology to create a great waking experience are elevating it from a good product to something that presents a vision of how I personally want to live with technology, in stark contrast to how most present-day “smart home” technology and connected devices forces its mental model and always-on-ness upon us."

“Guys. I’m not joking when I say OneClock is srsly blowing my mind. I loooooooove waking to it. it just feels like an honor, somehow? Revolutionary. Truly.”

“I've been waking up to my OneClock for three mornings now, and I've never experienced such a peaceful waking experience before in my life. In the past I've tried alarms on my phone with different kinds of music, but there's some serious acoustic magic going on with OneClock. This is a whole new level of calm.”

"I hate alarm clocks so much I honestly did not use the alarm feature for nearly 2 months after getting my OneClock. I just kept the clock on my nightstand and used it for time. For years I have allowed myself to awaken naturally, which is nice in certain respects, but tends to make my days unpredictable. And I've missed a lot of early-morning opportunities, such as running races and things that I used to enjoy. Now my schedule is such that I need to start awakening earlier and at a set time. So I set the alarm last night... anxiously ... and tossed/turned for an hour because I absolutely hate to be jolted.... and to all you haters out there who are like 'just find a classical station on the radio....' No. Anyway, this morning I woke (a bit sleep deprived due to the tossing/turning) to your amazing alarm clock with a smile on my face. I love this thing. Total game changer. I have control over my mornings again. Thank you."

“Yes, the price seems crazy. BUT it’s made to last and after using mine for a week, waking up has never been more pleasant. Worth the investment in my book.”

“Just wanted to say that I’ve been using my clock for a good week now, and its incredible! Of course we love the design (duh), and the music (double-duh), but we never got a chance to experience any waking-up events during the prototype development. I swear I feel better in the morning getting gently woken up, and my temptation to snooze in has completely disappeared somehow. The fade in is so soothing, and I’ve noticed that the music actually integrates into my dreams, so I begin to hear the music while dreaming, and come out of the dream so much more gently. It’s a great product…you guys should be really proud!” (from Marc, our mechanical engineer)

“Got mine this weekend. It’s gorgeous. Sleek, simple and clean.”

“I used mine for the first time last night and it was better than expected. No glowing clock face, gentle waking music. The minimalist design is beautiful.”

“Really liking the clock btw. It’s a really nice experience to be honest. I appreciate the way it functions. The process of turning dials is awesome!”

“I wanted to personally express my thanks to you for helping to create such a great product with what must be a remarkable team of people. I have already had my clock for about 6 days and it was completely worth the wait. I don't think it is an overstatement to say it has changed my life. I am a professional musician and I truly appreciate the effort and care that went into making something that is improving the quality of life for many people…I actually packed my clock while on a 10-day tour that started today and knowing that I can add some consistency and solace to the beginning of my mornings while away will make all the difference.”

“Can't wait for tomorrow morning for it to wake me up. I'm very happy about it. You did a great job.”

“The OneClock is a life changing thing. It’s amazing to wake up this way. Thank you!”

“Good morning. I used one clock for the first time this morning. No jarring alarm. Woke up peacefully and felt more energy. Thanks for such a great product!”

"I love the way I am waking up with the sounds. I can feel a difference in my brain state in the morning as a result of not being thrust awake through alarming sounds. I like the music and the way it changes. I think the clock itself is classy and simple. I like the look. I just wanted to say thank you for making this clock! So my first morning alarm went "off" at 0500. I felt the gentle nudge, I feel remarkably relaxed this morning getting ready for work. I feel so calm, and centered/grounded and in a better mood! What a difference without the crazy loud bam-bam-bam alarm at 5 am.”

“Yo! Super stoked about this. Been looking for something like this for a while.”

“If you want a cutting-edge thoughtfully-designed functional clock-as-artwork, OneClock is it.”

“Absolutely loving my OneClock!!!! It was worth the wait!!!!!!”

"I want to express to you creators how much I LOVE this clock! I love the way it looks (including the low light emission!), how it feels, and how it sounds. I leave my bed feeling calm as well as energized to greet my day. If, for some reason, I get up early, I get back into bed when the music is about to come alive so I can touch that feeling for this new day. The first time my dog was in bed with me when the music started, he was so Zenned out when it finished that I had to gently shake him to bring him around. Oneclock is an extraordinarily functional work of art!"

"I feel like a calmer, more wise and full human starting my day with this clock."