Ball wall clock (Dawn) - Limited Edition des. George Nelson, 1949 - 1960 (made by Vitra)

A very special anniversary edition of a joyful midcentury classic, created by the great George Nelson. 

Nelson was first commissioned to create a collection of clocks in 1947. He  analysed how people used clocks and concluded that they read the time by discerning the relative position of the hands, which made the use of numbers unnecessary. Furthermore, since most people wore wristwatches, he assumed that clocks had become more of a decorative element for interiors. However to us, Nelson's clocks have become design classics because they're beautiful and useful. And we hate, hate, hate looking at our phones when we want to know what time it is! This is an infinitely more stylish and civilised solution.

One of these first wall clocks was the Ball Clock, which went on to become an icon of American mid-century modernism over the ensuing decades, and in the 35 years that followed, the designers at Nelson Associates conceived more than a hundred different models: wall clocks, portable table clocks and built-in clocks. Vitra began reissuing the Nelson Clocks in 1999.

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Vitra's re-edition of the Wall Clocks and the 75th anniversary of their original market launch. To commemorate the occasion, Vitra is releasing a limited edition of the Ball Clock. We love this calming blue-hued Dawn colourway, which interprets the moods of the early hours with atmospheric colour gradients.

• Materials:  various types of wood and metal.
• Product contents:  high-quality quartz clock movement, 1.5 volt battery included.
• Origin of wood:  all wood types from Poland