Fred Niell's Elegant Nixie Clocks
Fred Niell's Индикатор-6 (Indicator-6) digital clock mixes old fashioned woodwork with modern electronics. Each of these timepieces is housed in a beautiful mahogany and black walnut dovetailed case. The compact unit measures only 5.75” x 3.5” x 3.25” and consumes a mere 1.5W during operation.
The vintage display tubes were manufactured in 1971, at the height of the USSR's technological might. As Fred explains, "Russian-made vacuum tubes were specially selected for this clock. According to their original manufacturer, these tubes are rated for tens of thousands of hours of continuous use in extreme vibration and altitude environments. The exotic materials used in the tubes' construction, Molybdenum, Tungsten, Mercury, steatite ceramics, etc., stand testament to the immense work put into their development and manufacture. The manufacture date of 1971 points to a time when the tube industry had reached its pinnacle in both reliability and technological advancement. Truly, these tubes represent one facet of the peak of the USSR's intellectual and scientific output, fueled by the Cold War's escalations."
The limited edition run of one hundred Indicator-6 clocks is hand-assembled in the USA and sells for $275, including a wall-wart power supply. An international version is available for $10 more.








I recognized the name Wittnauer as they have been making watches for over a century. The dinged up timepiece keeps good time despite clearly having a few stories to tell, but the watch held a surprise for me. It has a built in alarm. I'd never had a wind up wristwatch with a mechanical alarm in it. At the right time, the watch lets off an insect-like buzz. I don't think that it's loud enough to wake a person from a sound sleep, but on your wrist the creepy vibration and sound is going to get your immediate attention. Unpleasantly.
Since this Wittnauer has got all that room to spare, you'd think that perhaps they'd have built in room for a battery, or a self-winding mechanism. I guess those concepts are way too wimpy. Unfortunately I just have to man-up and remember to keep this monster wound, otherwise I lose the date – and the configuration of the crowns make setting the calendar a real task. I'm just grateful that it measures my wimpy life in regular hours and minutes, rather than some sort of “macho tempo” that I could never live up to.