We love tasks that make you do a double-take while you first see them. It’s all the time enjoyable to assume you see one factor, however then slowly notice every little thing isn’t fairly what you anticipated. And this faceless analog clock could be very a lot a type of tasks.

Once we first noticed [Shinsaku Hiura]’s “Hole Clock 4,” we assumed the trick to creating it appear like the arms had been floating in area would depend on the considered use of clear acrylic. However no, this clock is actually faceless — you can simply stick a finger from entrance to again. The phantasm is achieved by connecting the minute hand to the rim of the clock, and rotating the entire outer circumference by way of a compact 3D printed gear prepare. It’s a really intelligent mechanism, and it’s clear that it took quite a lot of work to optimize every little thing in order that the entire look of the clock is smooth and trendy.

However what concerning the hour hand? That’s simply related to the top of the minute hand on the heart of the clock’s digital face, so how does that work? As it’s with most issues that look like magical, the reply is magnets. The outer rim of the clock really has one other ring, this one containing a pair of neodymium magnets. They appeal to one other magnet situated within the very finish of the hour hand, dragging it alongside because the hour ring rotates. The video under reveals off the secrets and techniques, and it provides you some concept of how a lot work went into this clock.

We’re used to seeing distinctive and enjoyable timepieces and different devices from [Shinsaku Hiura] — this up-flipping clock involves thoughts, as does this practice RPN calculator — however this undertaking is clearly a step past.