By Jason Snell

January 7, 2022 2:04 PM PT

NightWatch: An Apple Watch stand, if you want it

This is a tricky one. On the one hand, the NightWatch Apple Watch stand is ridiculous. It’s an $85 hunk of plastic. No hunk of clear plastic should cost $85.

And yet… I bought one in June after hearing about it on the Connected podcast, and… I kind of love it? You’ll need to make your own decision about whether it’s worth it.

The NightWatch is a clear lucite bubble designed to fit your Apple Watch. You push an Apple Watch charging puck into the back of it, set it on your nightstand, and at night, you drop the Apple Watch in and it charges. But more than that, the curved plastic bubble serves as a magnifier. If you use your Apple Watch in Night Stand mode—and I do, my Apple Watch now serves double duty as my alarm clock—you’ll be able to see the time a little bit larger.

The makers of NightWatch say that it also has some sound channels to amplify the sound of the Apple Watch when it makes an alarm in the morning. I haven’t really noticed much difference, since my Apple Watch is pretty effective at waking me up regardless.

For a couple of years I used elago’s Classic Mac-themed Apple Watch stand, and it was just fine. It costs $14, quite a bit less than the NightWatch. I like the NightWatch—which is solid, hard plastic, not squishy silicone—better. Do I like it $70 better? I don’t know about that, but I didn’t return the NightWatch, so I guess maybe I do.¹

If you want a nice way to hold your Apple Watch on your nightstand, the NightWatch will give it to you. The rest is between you, your wallet, and this Amazon link.

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