Westclox 22692: A Necessary and Sufficient Alarm Clock

An alarm clock must be simple, so that you know without a doubt that you have set the alarm correctly. But most alarm clocks are too complicated – you can never be sure if they've been set right. Is it set to Radio, or Buzzer, or Off? Is the volume knob high enough, or has it been turned off? Is the radio set to a strong signal? Is the alarm on? Will this thing wake me up in the morning?

During a recent hotel stay, I had set the alarm on a Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 clock, but it failed to sound in the morning. Evidently I did not enable Alarm A. "Alarm Time A" indicates that Alarm A is merely displayed, whereas "Alarm A" indicates that Alarm A is enabled. And I won't even go into Alarm B.

Time for a dose of sanity: the Westclox 22692.

First, no radio. That eliminates half of the problem. And the controls are so simple and obvious: hour, minute, time, alarm, off/on – all clearly labelled on the front of the unit. I'm sure you know how to operate it already. Yet how many alarm clocks violate this principle of simplicity and obviousness.

I love this clock because I can tell without a doubt whether the alarm is set correctly. It's everything that an alarm clock should be – no more, no less.