You can still find reliable wind up clocks

: Image by Caucas' via Flickr

Wind up clocks are still popular especially with alarm clocks. The mainspring is what powers the clock and if you are sick of waking up late or missing an important meeting then wind up clocks will not desert you when the electricity or batteries do.

There are two parts to a wind up clock and they are the spring which is usually a steel coil and the torsion pendulum which is another spring.

The main popular types of clocks that have wind up mechanisms are alarm clocks, cuckoo clocks, mantle clocks and pendulum clocks.

To wind up your clock turn it over and you will find the visible knobs or in older clocks it may even be a key. If you have an alarm clock make it a rule to give it a wind every night before you go to sleep. Don't worry about over-winding it as that is a myth. You will probably find you can only wind it so far anyway.

The cost of wind up clocks vary with the most inexpensive being the alarm clocks and the most expensive being the larger and sometimes antique or unique pendulum or mantle clocks.

If you have a wind up clock you will never have to worry about electrical blackouts or flat batteries again and you are reducing the battery waste so helping the environment as well. See some of the clocks below for a great bargain.