  Optical clocks are the apotheosis of precision measurement, but they require
frequent maintenance by scientists. The supporting laser systems are a
particularly demanding component of these instruments. To reduce complexity and
increase robustness we propose an optical clock with trapped alkali-like ions
that use the $S_{1/2}\rightarrow D_{3/2}$ electric quadrupole transition.
Compared to traditional group-II ion clocks this reduces the number of laser
wavelengths required, and uses hyperfine state preparation and readout
techniques enabled by the nuclear spin $I=1/2$. We consider $^{225}$Ra$^{+}$ as
a candidate system for a clock with three electronic states, and discuss the
potential to help realize a transportable optical clock.
