Abstract: A clock or other display component has a user input to a controller configured to control a mechanical display unit, and it may also control a digital display unit. The controller controls the display unit(s) as a function of input from the user. User input can change the display in predefined increments, for example in the case of a clock in 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minute increments, or in other predefined increments greater than 1 minute. The user inputs can be on the back of the unit, leaving the front of unit freely visible. The clock, and also the separate mechanical and digital display units of the clock, can be synchronized using an AC frequency signal from an external power supply. Also, a system and method controls mechanical pointers, such as clock hands, in such a way that the exact positions of the pointers are known to the control electronics so that the pointers and digital displays show the same information.