14 DAY TRIAL // Clocks and watches have evolved quite a lot from their early days until the present yet there is still plenty more to be done in this direction. And if you don't believe us, maybe we should cut to the chase and introduce you to the wonderful and spectacular art of Ross McBride. Among his many designs, clocks and watches have a special place and it also looks like he enjoyed creating them at least as much as people were delighted upon seeing them.
If you're looking for some gadgets to add a distinctive note to your home without trespassing the limits of the casual style, then Ross McBride's pieces are definitely some of the best choices.
While some designers create that "something special" in their objects by using common stuff and adding rich features, Ross went the opposite way: his clocks and watches are among the most common household items and their distinctive detail is their most important mark, without entering the luxury realm. In fact, it seems that more and more people are slightly losing their initial interest in the hyped, blinged-up gadgets, turning towards functionality and the purity of ideas few designers manage to handle with ease.
One of the most intriguing designs is by far the Wave: a stationary time-keeping machine that looks like nothing you've seen before. Ross managed to capture the waves in the water as a round object falls into it and has given them a completely new destination: they'll never fade away, but live on and defy time in the frozen state of their acrylic inertia.
Two differently-sized black metal balls revolve in the grooves between the waves, invisibly moved by hidden dual magnets that move on a clock-like mechanism. While a very small dimple on a wave marks the 12 hour, everything is as natural and fluid as possible, a simple yet most powerful statement that time can be defeated, at least in design practice.
The next two clocks signed by McBride are an exceptional blend between the art of Salvador Dali and the modern, LED-digit clocks born during the 70s. Imagine the radically-tech-ish and edgy design of any LED-digit clock and then prepare to see it melt or sink through your shelves or table: both the Sinking Clock and the Digital Dali come to shake your strong belief in the almightiness of technology and actually make you think about the more natural approach to your everyday objects. And even though these two stunning clocks aren't exactly the kind of objects one could freely install anywhere, one must also bow to their extreme “out of the box” spirit.
Finally, a wall-mounted clock that exploits visual tricks to the max: the Grid Clock. This one has been designed in such a way that once it rests on a level wall it gives the very strong impression that it actually comes out through it. Built from high-quality PVC and aluminium and available in either white with white hands or black with silver hands, the Grid Clock can be purchased from Japan's Duende for a very attractive price of around $46.
Ross McBride's clocks are strong proof that design doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to look good and be coveted. For all those daring to tread a more unconventional path as far as home/office gadgets are concerned, the work of those like Ross McBride could be a very neat way to go.
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is 
.
