1970s Psychedelic Travel Alarm Clock by Bradley
A wonderfully groovy 1970s Bradley mechanical travel alarm clock wrapped in a woven fabric case of hot pink, citrus orange, lime green, and yellow.
Closed up, it looks almost like a tiny psychedelic jewelry case. Flip it open and the colorful shell becomes its own stand, revealing a square cream dial with raised gold-tone numerals, luminous-accented hands, and a matching gold-tone interior. It is compact, unapologetically colorful, and just weird enough to be fantastic.
This is a traditional wind-up mechanical clock, so there are no batteries involved. The clock ticks, keeps time, and the alarm has been tested and works.
📚 Historical Context
Before your phone knew what time you needed to wake up, before hotel rooms had USB ports, and before anyone thought putting a clock inside a colorful folding fabric case was excessive, there was the travel alarm clock.
Bradley had been putting its name on watches and clocks since the 1950s. By the 1970s, Bradley Time operated as a division of Elgin National Industries, selling watches and clocks while using movements and manufacturing from several established overseas sources. This particular clock is marked Japan, fitting squarely into the period when Japanese mechanical clockmaking was supplying reliable, affordable movements to the American market.
Then came the case and apparently subtlety was never part of the plan. They chose every neon 70s color they could get their hands on.
Pink, orange, lime, yellow, sweeping black outlines, gold-tone hardware. It is the sort of pattern that could have appeared on a beach towel, an airline seat, a resort lobby sofa, or the side of a camper van in 1973. Somehow, wrapped around a three-inch alarm clock, it works.
The result is a very 1970s marriage of practicality and personality: a dependable little mechanical machine dressed for a considerably more exciting vacation than most of us are taking.
✨ Condition Notes
- Mechanical wind-up movement ticks and runs.
- Clock keeps time through approximately one day's wind.
- As the movement nears the end of its wind, it may begin drifting approximately 1 to 2 minutes before
needing to be rewound.
- Alarm function has been tested and works.
- Colorful woven fabric remains attractive, with some age-related fading, marks, and surface wear.
- Gold-tone trim shows scratches, spotting, patina, and areas of finish wear, particularly along the edges.
- Cream dial shows light age-related spotting and discoloration.
- Hands show visible oxidation and age.
- Interior fabric lining has discoloration, staining, and general age-related wear.
- Rear movement is marked Japan.
- Case opens into its display position and folds closed for travel.
Please review all photographs closely, as they are part of the condition description.
📏 Measurements (approximate)
Closed case:
Width: 3 in
Height: 3 in
Depth: 1.25 in
📦 Packaging
Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
A wonderfully groovy 1970s Bradley mechanical travel alarm clock wrapped in a woven fabric case of hot pink, citrus orange, lime green, and yellow.
Closed up, it looks almost like a tiny psychedelic jewelry case. Flip it open and the colorful shell becomes its own stand, revealing a square cream dial with raised gold-tone numerals, luminous-accented hands, and a matching gold-tone interior. It is compact, unapologetically colorful, and just weird enough to be fantastic.
This is a traditional wind-up mechanical clock, so there are no batteries involved. The clock ticks, keeps time, and the alarm has been tested and works.
📚 Historical Context
Before your phone knew what time you needed to wake up, before hotel rooms had USB ports, and before anyone thought putting a clock inside a colorful folding fabric case was excessive, there was the travel alarm clock.
Bradley had been putting its name on watches and clocks since the 1950s. By the 1970s, Bradley Time operated as a division of Elgin National Industries, selling watches and clocks while using movements and manufacturing from several established overseas sources. This particular clock is marked Japan, fitting squarely into the period when Japanese mechanical clockmaking was supplying reliable, affordable movements to the American market.
Then came the case and apparently subtlety was never part of the plan. They chose every neon 70s color they could get their hands on.
Pink, orange, lime, yellow, sweeping black outlines, gold-tone hardware. It is the sort of pattern that could have appeared on a beach towel, an airline seat, a resort lobby sofa, or the side of a camper van in 1973. Somehow, wrapped around a three-inch alarm clock, it works.
The result is a very 1970s marriage of practicality and personality: a dependable little mechanical machine dressed for a considerably more exciting vacation than most of us are taking.
✨ Condition Notes
- Mechanical wind-up movement ticks and runs.
- Clock keeps time through approximately one day's wind.
- As the movement nears the end of its wind, it may begin drifting approximately 1 to 2 minutes before
needing to be rewound.
- Alarm function has been tested and works.
- Colorful woven fabric remains attractive, with some age-related fading, marks, and surface wear.
- Gold-tone trim shows scratches, spotting, patina, and areas of finish wear, particularly along the edges.
- Cream dial shows light age-related spotting and discoloration.
- Hands show visible oxidation and age.
- Interior fabric lining has discoloration, staining, and general age-related wear.
- Rear movement is marked Japan.
- Case opens into its display position and folds closed for travel.
Please review all photographs closely, as they are part of the condition description.
📏 Measurements (approximate)
Closed case:
Width: 3 in
Height: 3 in
Depth: 1.25 in
📦 Packaging
Clock will be professionally padded and boxed with care.
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