Clock
Pieces don't move like a cube, it just has dials and pins.
- WCA event
- Clock
- Positions
- 1.3 × 10¹⁵
- Moving parts
- 4 wheels, 4 pins
- Popular method
- 7-simul
Overview
Rubik's Clock has nine clocks on each side, four wheels at the corners and four pins between them. Turning a wheel turns some of the clocks, and the pins decide which ones.
The four corner clocks on the front are linked to the four on the back, so there are 14 clocks to solve, not 18. Solving means getting every clock to point at 12.
There's no moving of pieces and no colors, so Clock feels completely different from cubes. It's all about choosing the right pins and counting the right number of hours.
Notation
A move names the pins that are up and how far to turn: UR3+ means push up only the top right pin and turn three hours clockwise. U means both top pins, R both right pins, and ALL every pin.
y2 means flip the clock over to the other side. Scrambles do the front, then y2, then the back.
One side at a time
Solve the middle and edges of the back, flip the clock, then solve the front. The corners take care of both sides at once.
1. Back side cross
On one side, get the center clock and the four edge clocks (top, bottom, left, right) to point the same way, then to 12. Choose pins so the turn moves only the clocks you need, and use the corners to adjust.
Tip: Experiment first: push up one pin and turn a wheel to see exactly which clocks move.
2. Front side cross
Flip the clock. Solve the front center and edges the same way, using pin settings that don't disturb the back side you just finished.
3. Corners
Solve the four front corners one at a time with one pin up and the wheel next to it. Because front and back corners are linked, this solves the back corners too.
7-simul
The standard speed method: seven moves per side, each calculated during inspection by looking at a few clocks. Moves are done by turning two wheels at once.
How it works
Each move solves one clock using pin settings that keep the others as they are, and you work out every turn amount by simple addition and subtraction of the clocks you can see.
It takes practice to calculate quickly, but the solve itself becomes very fast: the best solvers finish in a few seconds.
Memorization
At the top level, solvers calculate the whole solve during inspection and execute it without looking.
Inspection
Use all 15 seconds to calculate the front side and as much of the back as you can.
Tips
- ★Hold the clock the same way every time, with your thumbs on the wheels and fingers on the pins.
- ★Don't force the pins. Clocks are easy to damage if you turn a wheel with pins half pushed in.
- ★Practice the arithmetic separately. Clock speed comes from calculating, not from turning.
Resources
Ready to time yourself? The timer has Clock scrambles built in.
Open the timer