Nixie Clock — Handcrafted in the Netherlands

The story

Built in the USSR.
At home in your interior.

The IN-14 is a Nixie tube — a vacuum tube filled with neon gas, manufactured in the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s. Each tube contains ten wire-shaped cathodes, each formed as a digit. When current flows through it, the neon surrounds the cathode with a characteristic warm orange glow that no modern display can match.

After decades in warehouses and laboratories, these tubes get a second life. Not as a museum piece, but as a clock that tells the time every day — accurate, silent and enduringly beautiful.

Every clock is individually built, tested and numbered in the Netherlands. No two are alike.

Year old glass

The IN-14 tubes in this clock are NOS — New Old Stock. Never used, stored in original Soviet packaging. A finite supply, forever.

What makes it special

Always the right time

A GPS module receives atomic-clock precision directly from satellites — no internet required. In the event of a power failure, the DS3231 RTC takes over seamlessly.

GPS + DS3231

Knows when you're watching

A 24GHz radar sensor, invisibly built into the base, detects presence in the room. The tubes glow when you are there, and dim when the room is empty. Good for the tubes, good for the atmosphere.

mmWave presence

Ambient lighting

Beneath each tube sits an RGB LED that illuminates the base from within. The colour is adjustable — from warm orange that mirrors the Nixie glow to any shade you prefer.

WS2812B

Daylight saving? Never worry again

Timezone configuration and automatic daylight saving time switching are built into the firmware. The clock adjusts itself at the right moment.

Automatic

Cathode protection

Nixie tubes can become poisoned when certain digits are rarely used. Every night, the clock automatically cycles through all digits — a rare detail that extends the life of the tubes.

Anti-poisoning

Entirely custom design

Custom PCB design, custom firmware on an ESP32. No off-the-shelf kit, no AliExpress module. Every component is deliberately chosen and assembled and programmed in-house.

Custom hardware & software

For the enthusiast

Display6× IN-14 Nixie tube (Soviet NOS)

Driver2× HV5222PG-G (cascade, 64-bit)

MicrocontrollerESP32-WROOM-32 (240MHz, WiFi)

GPS moduleu-blox NEO-M9N (GNSS, multi-band)

Time sourceGPS (NEO-M9N) + DS3231 RTC (±2ppm)

Presence24GHz mmWave radar (Seeed)

Ambient lighting6× WS2812B addressable RGB

Tube voltage~175V DC (NCH6100HV boost)

Power supply5V DC via USB-C

Tube lifetime>200,000 hours (with anti-poisoning)

BaseCNC-milled solid wood

DimensionsOn request

EditionLimited — made to order

The base

Solid wood,
milled to measure.

The tubes rest in a base of solid wood, CNC-milled with millimetre precision. The electronics, sensor and wiring are completely hidden — what you see is only wood and glass and light.

The choice of wood is open for discussion. Oak, walnut, ash — depending on your interior and preference. Each piece is finished with hand-stirred oil, so the grain pattern is shown to its full advantage.

Availability

One clock.
Your clock.

Every clock is built to order. That means you have a say in the wood species, the RGB colour and the dimensions of the base — and that the end result exists nowhere else.

Send a message for pricing, availability and lead time. I will respond within two working days.

^€ —

Price on request · incl. VAT · excl. shipping

Lead time 4 to 6 weeks after confirmation

Time inglowing orange glass.

Built in the USSR.At home in your interior.