A Travel Clock from the Year of 2000

Yesterday, while searching the office storage room for discontinued products to test for a customer inquiry, I stumbled upon an old travel clock. It’s a slim model powered by a single CR2032 battery — the same type we use in many of our products. Luckily, I found a working one and, with the help of my trusted multimeter, replaced the dead battery.

When I turned it on, the default date and time read January 1st, 2001, 00:00:00. Without a manual handy, I experimented with the buttons on the back and eventually figured out that pressing and holding the Time Set button allowed me to manually adjust the time.

As I pressed the buttons to set the correct date, a strange mix of excitement and shock washed over me. I was thrilled to see that, after 25 years, this tiny device still worked perfectly. At the same time, I was struck by the passage of time — I had to press the UP button 24 times to move the year from 2001 to 2025.

The experience also brought back a childhood memory. I used to set clocks to a future time, imagining who I would become and what my life would be like when that time arrived. Handling this clock reminded me of that sense of wonder and anticipation.

Today, our phones, computers, and tablets all set the time automatically, so we rarely adjust anything manually. In some ways, this convenience has taken away a subtle way of feeling how fast time passes. As a child, I wished time would move faster; now, as a middle-aged man, I hope it moves gently.

For a few moments, that little clock connected me to my younger self. What a clock!