Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Apple designer Marc Newson sells $12K hourglass as Swiss watchmaker does analog Apple Watch clone

One of the designers behind the Apple Watch, Marc Newson, has crafted a special-edition hourglass priced at a whopping $12,000. Swiss luxury watchmaker H. Moser & Cie., meanwhile, has launched a new mechanical piece designed to resemble the Apple Watch itself.

The Marc Newson Hourglass for Hodinkee is made out of a single piece of borosilicate glass, filled with 1,249,996 "nanoballs" instead of sand. Each ball is actually made of stainless steel with a copper coating, using an additional anti-corrosion material to prevent the copper from turning green. The product measures 10 minutes per flip.

Only 100 units are being produced. The first six have already sold, and four more should be delivered in early June, according to Hodinkee. The company expects to deliver about 10 per month, since each is handmade.

To discourage casual shoppers, Hodinkee is requiring that buyers put down a non-refundable $6,000 deposit, and pay the remaining $6,000 after a delivery time is set.

The H. Moser product is the Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz, which replaces the Apple Watch's OLED display with a pair of analog watch hands. The device has a four-day power reserve and is "fully rechargeable by hand," according to the company.

Two versions of the watch are being sold: one with a black dial, and another in "Funky Blue." Only 20 units of each are being manufactured — pricing wasn't immediately available.

The most expensive Apple Watch currently available is the Series 2 Edition, which costs up to $1,299 and differs from other Series 2 models simply by using a ceramic case. "Series 0" Editions used real gold, and cost up to $17,000.