Alternative Clocks and Timers

Keeping Track of Time (Without Electricity)

Many people these days rely on their cell phone or computer to tell the time. You may want to consider having an alternative method of ‘time tracking’ in the event that battery power becomes difficult to come by. There are many good quality watches available that run completely on mechanical power, and do not require a battery at all. Here are a few options for alternative energy timepieces.

Crank Power / Wind-Up Watches

These can be great for checking time on the go, and come in wrist watch and pocket watch styles. You just need to remember to wind them up once day to keep them ticking. As with most things, you get what you pay for. These watches can cost anywhere from $10 - $1000+. I own a few in the $25 range and they are pretty decent, as well as a $150 one that's good too.

Cuckoo Clocks

You can pick up a very nice German made cuckoo clock that will give you accurate time, as well as add some character to your home. These clocks use weights that you have to manually raise, each day, in order to keep the clock ticking.

Sand Timer

If you need to time a regular event, such as cooking food for a certain amount of time, then you could use a sand timer. These are often used in board games, but higher quality versions can be purchased. You can buy them in various increments, like 5 minute timers, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. You could also build your own.

Use The Sun, Moon, and Stars

Getting back to basics. The patterns that happen in the sky will let you know ‘what time it is’. As far a the sun goes, you could build or purchase a sun dual. You can also get books or look up information specific to your location on the globe, to learn how to use the sun, moon, and stars to tell not on time of day(or night), but also to keep track of months and years.