This simple dock turns your Apple Watch into a bedside orb

Have you ever tried using your Apple Watch as a bedside clock, but given up because the screen is just too dang small? Well, boy do we have a $49.99 dock for you. The NightWatch is combination charging dock, magnifying glass, and acoustic amplifier, bringing together these functions to turn the Apple Watch’s nightstand mode into a bona fide bedside alarm, complete with a tap-to-wake feature to show you the time.

We’ve previously covered novelty docks that turn the Apple Watch into a miniature Macintosh replica or an iPod. But the NightWatch attempts to make the Apple Watch work better in nightstand mode, by making its screen bigger and easier to read and using “integrated sound channels’ to amplify the sound of your alarm.

It’s a pretty simple accessory, all told, and basically consists of a single block of polished lucite. That means it doesn’t come with its own charger, so you’ll have to slot in your existing charging puck, and the advertised “tap display” seems to just be relying on the fact that the Apple Watch’s screen will light up at the slightest nudge. “Even nudging or tapping the table might work,” the NightWatch’s support page says.

The NightWatch’s launch comes at a potentially awkward time. Last year Apple added a new sleep tracking feature to the Apple Watch, which means many people now sleep with their watches on their wrists rather than on their nightstand. But if you’re not interested in tracking your sleep data, the NightWatch supports all Apple Watches, is available for pre-order now over on its website, and will be coming to Amazon next week. Shipping is due later this month.