Gifts for Grandpa: Pendulums to Barometers

Gift ideas for grandpa, by what keeps him busy

Start from his habits rather than from the science. A grandpa who reads the paper by the window will enjoy an instrument that changes with the light or the temperature, while one who tinkers in the garage will want to see the mechanism. Every object in this guide works straight out of the box, with no app and no assembly, which matters for older men who have little patience for gadgets.

He keeps an eye on the weather

For the grandpa who checks the sky every morning, the Fitzroy Storm Glass ($49.99) pays tribute to the storm bottles of Admiral FitzRoy. Tradition reads fair weather or storms in its crystals, but in practice they respond mostly to temperature. The Black Galileo Thermometer ($67.90) lines up seven black balls in a 16-inch glass tube, from 16 to 28°C (61 to 82°F). The Hanging Galileo Thermometer ($72.99) hangs its tube from a metal arch: its four balls change height as soon as the room warms up or cools down. In the evening, the Crystal Ball Weather ($84.99) lights its crystal globe in seven colors.

He likes seeing how it moves

Here, nothing hides under a cover. The Metal Newton's Cradle ($69.99) hangs seven balls in a metal frame: let one go and only the last one swings out. The Crookes Radiometer ($39.99) is based on the invention of physicist William Crookes: set it in the light and its black vanes start spinning. The Newton Pendulum Perpetual ($39.99) keeps the classic five spheres in a compact black or white frame, about 6 inches long, made for a side table. And with the Sand Pendulum ($67.99), he can change the swing and watch a new figure appear in the sand.

He's fascinated by time

An hourglass makes time visible in a way a clock never does. The Antique Hourglass ($62.99), with its exposed bolts and bronze-toned braces, looks like a flea market find and runs for 15 minutes. The Old Hourglass ($62.99) sits on a square base, with white sand that takes 30 minutes to run through. The Wooden Perpetual Calendar ($79.99), in hand-finished walnut, shows the month, the day and the week, year after year. For a mantel, the Rotating Hourglass (from $74.99) swivels in a gilded metal frame and comes in 15, 30 or 60 minute versions.

How much to spend on grandpa gifts

Father's Day gifts for grandpa

Father's Day is not only for dads: a grandfather deserves his own present too, ideally one picked by the grandkids. Choose an object whose story matches what he loves. The pendulum carries Newton's name, the Galileo thermometer follows a 17th-century principle, the storm glass recalls Admiral FitzRoy, and the Marine Hourglass (from $76.99) copies the look of the timers once used on ships. If he has just stopped working, our ideas for a retirement may help, and for grandma, see our ideas for her.