Retro Domed Alarm Clock 10.5cm

A rounded case on two stubby feet, a domed lens and a single bell cap on top: this is the shape most people picture when they hear the word alarm clock. The dial is uncluttered, with plain numerals and a contrasting second hand, and the case comes in blue, pink, green or cream, all of them muted enough to sit on a bedside table without shouting for attention.

It is small, at 10.5 by 9 by 6.5 centimetres, which is roughly the footprint of a coffee cup and saucer. That makes it easy to fit on a crowded nightstand, a bathroom shelf or the corner of a desk where a larger clock would be in the way. The case is moulded plastic, so it is light to pick up and shrugs off the knocks a bedside clock inevitably collects.

It runs on a battery, which is not supplied. Change it at the first sign of the hands slowing rather than waiting for it to stop, and take the battery out altogether if the clock is going into storage, since a leaking cell will damage the movement. Button and cylindrical batteries are a serious hazard if swallowed, so keep the clock and any spare cells well out of reach of young children.

• Material: moulded plastic case with a domed lens
• Size: 10.5 x 9 x 6.5 cm
• Four colours: blue, pink, green and cream
• Battery powered; battery not included
• Keep batteries out of reach of children; remove the battery before storage