It sat next to me while I worked, and I found the transitions from one time to another (like 1:01 -> 1:02) to be distracting. So I changed the transition to be a gradual fade and it helped.

Now that I think about it, I remember getting distracted years ago at a home with a grandfather clock. A quiet room except for the ticking. Definitely accentuated boredom (which with smartphones, we never have anymore)

This product, from the ad copy, is targeted at fans of writing. People sitting on the bleachers, not the ones on the court.

So from the right angle, the gift reads as saying "I don't take you seriously - you're a wannabe".