“Digital” mechanical clock

Wow! This one is really amazing! Briefly this is a mechanical clock that emulates digital one. The idea is quite simple and understandable, but the realization is magnificent, just look at the picture:

Created by UK designer Duncan Shotton, those clock are called Di Grisogono Meccanica. The main idea is that numbers on the “screen” are produced by stripes (bars) that are moving behind it. The “screen” has got holes in the shape of regular seven-piece displays, and the stripes are covered with paint in the way to close the holes in the “screen”

The numeral bars drop back under gravity when the final digits have been displayed, driven by servos controlled by a microcontroller. Unfortunately there’s no prices or dates for sale on the site, but I hope we can see this masterpiece of technology in the nearest future.