Is there a clock that shows the year?
Is there a clock that shows a year?
Yes. The Present clock is a wall-mounted timepiece that completes one revolution per year.
What would a "clock that shows a year" even mean?
Most clocks show the inside of the day: hours and minutes.
A clock that shows the year is different. It shows the shape of the year itself; not as twelve months in boxes, but as one continuous cycle.
It doesn’t replace your phone.
It gives you something your phone never will: context.
How does it work?
The Present has a single hand that completes one full revolution every 365 days.
That’s it.
From across the room, it looks almost still.
Over days and weeks, you begin to notice it’s tracing a larger motion; like the year itself has become visible.
Is it meant to "slow time down"?
Everyone's experience of time is unique.
Each person has their own take on living with The Present in their home or office.
Most say it helps them reflect on time in a new way; many say it helps them slow down.
A few say it makes them want to do more because they see the true speed of a year on Earth. Others say it helped them change careers. The hand moves at the same steady rate either way.
It is neither fast nor slow, the effect is scale.
The Present shifts your viewpoint from seconds to seasons.
What does this have to do with nature?
Most of us live by the time of industry: schedules, alarms, deadlines.
Nature keeps a different time: day/night, moon phases, seasonal change.
A year-clock isn’t trying to message you or coach you. It’s simply a quiet reminder that your life is happening inside a larger rhythm—even on your busiest day.
If you want the deeper framing, this page connects directly to:
The time of nature
What do you actually see when you look at it?
Instead of “it’s Tuesday,” you get something more like:
“We’re here—right now—in the arc of this year.”
That’s the whole thing. It reframes what you think the present moment is in a way that will surprise you, challenge you, and hopefully, inspire you.
Is The Present a clock?
Sure. Functionally, it feels closer to a compass, but yes, it can be defined as a wall clock, but it’s more accurate to call it a time instrument; an object designed to reveal the qualitative nature of time’s shape, not just measure time's quantitative units.
If you’re looking for the straightforward product page, start here:
The Present (Year)
For the curious
If you want to go further down the rabbit hole:
Thank you for reading. Drop me a note if you have a question; hello @ thepresent dot is - and I will get back to you.
In time,
Scott Thrift
