Alarm Clocks
Alarm Clocks > Modern Clocks • Vintage Clocks • Antique Clocks
Aside from those few people who regularly wake up at a reasonable hour,
most people depend on setting an alarm to jolt them out of their restful
sleep. An alarm clock is a timepiece that is designed to sound
an alarm at a pre-determined time. Alarm clocks may be used to
awaken people from sleep or to serve as scheduled event reminders.
The alarm may consist of a mechanical bell, an electric buzzer or novelty
sound, or even a radio that commences playing at a specified time.
Many types of alarm clocks have been used over the years. During the
14th century, large, mechanical clocks were first constructed. These
clocks generally operated by means of moving cams and gears that caused
hammers to strike bells at preset intervals. Most mechanical clocks
were driven by weights, and by the 17th century, some of these clocks had
built-in alarm mechanisms. But the first small alarm clock was
patented by Seth Thomas in 1876. Clock makers in the United States
and Germany started manufacturing these wind-up alarm clocks, and they
soon became quite popular. Westclox and General Electric later
developed electric clocks with snooze alarms, and today, many alarm clocks
feature quartz movements, radio-controlled settings, and digital displays.
Mechanical alarm clocks display the time using hour and minute hands
rather than a digital display, and they must be manually wound.
After winding, they will usually run for 24 to 36 hours. These
old-fashioned alarm clocks are not used much anymore because they are
inconvenient to wind each day and because they tend to tick loudly.
Battery alarm clocks have a battery operated quartz movement and come
in various shapes and sizes. They include analog and digital face
clocks. Electric style clocks must be plugged in to an electrical
outlet, but they also have a battery backup to save the time and alarm
settings if a power outage should occur. Atomic alarm clocks are
the most accurate because they are automatically set by a region-specific
signal. However, for this reason, an atomic alarm clock is best
purchased for home or office use, because it may display the wrong hour
when traveling outside its preset time zone.
Alarm clocks are not simply limited to waking functions. They can also be found on various other electronic equipment and used as reminders for important appointments and meeting schedules. Many watches have alarm features, as do computers, laptops, email programs, PDAs, iPods, and cell phones. Here on AlarmClocks.us you will find a selection of alarm clock and clock radio suppliers. For information about high tech atomic timepieces and radio controlled clocks, be sure to visit this atomic clock website as well.
Red Alarm Clock Bells with Chrome Bell Ringer
Horological Resource
- NAWCC
National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Find an overview of horology (the science or art of measuring time), a clock and watch gift shop, and a great deal of information about timekeeping, watches, and clocks.
www.NAWCC.org
Shop For Alarm Clocks
- Alarm Clocks Online
Find mechanical (windup) alarm clocks, plus quartz and electric clocks.
www.AlarmClocksOnline.com
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