Almost Object’s Simple Stretch Clock
Available on Kickstarter now, a rubber band that transforms everyday objects into time-telling tools
Almost Object founder and designer Nicholas Baker attributes his newest release to an emerald-colored marble slab he found on the sidewalk in his Brooklyn neighborhood. He took the discarded material home—as he often does, he explains—and let it marinate in his space. After a while, an idea hit: he’d wrap the slab in a timekeeping mechanism, transforming the decorative element into a clock. Keeping the clock band separate from the marble gave him the ability to remove it and place it on something else when the mood struck. This process informed his newest Almost Object release, the Stretch Clock, which is available to pre-order now on Kickstarter.
“The clock concept struck me when I was playing around with a rubber band,” Baker tells CH. “The marble slab looked like the perfect size for a clock face, and I thought about attaching a clock to it with a huge rubber band. After that initial spark, I knew I had to make it a real product. There are many beautiful clocks in the world, but most of us just use our phones to tell the time. Clocks have become less about telling time and more about expressing yourself. The Stretch Clock builds on this idea allowing anyone to create their own unique clock.”
Simple but clever, Baker’s newest product leaves much of the ingenuity up to the buyer. It’s his handy idea—with the numbers 12 and 6 screen-printed on one side and 9 and 3 on the other—that allows for this flexibility.
“I think that’s the best part of the design—giving the creative control over to the user,” Baker says. “I personally love the look of the clock around simple raw materials, but I’m sure people will go crazy with it.”
To assemble the Stretch Clock, simply wrap the band around any given object, attach the movement (relying on tension for support), and secure the hands (which are made of a sturdy, easy-to-read black or white plastic rather than lightweight metal). Then, just about anything can keep time.
The Stretch Clock is available for $28 now on Kickstarter. Images courtesy of Nicholas Baker
