L.L. Bean’s Big Ben: A classic alarm clock gets a modern makeover

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What time is it? Looking at these Big Ben alarm clocks, most design geeks would say they were first manufactured during the Art Deco era -- or, more specifically, were one of the era’s offshoots, Machine Age design (think 1930s industrial equipment and home appliances). Actually, this rather timeless clock is solidly midcentury, introduced in 1949. Now it comes with a battery-operated quartz timekeeper instead of a wind-up key, and the ring-a-ding Palm Springs colors include the orange and pink shown here as well as red (squares can order it in a nickel finish, celadon or antique white). It’s $34.50 in the new fall L.L. Bean Home catalog and can be ordered on the website or by phone, (800) 221-4221.

-- David A. Keeps